The Madame B Album c. 1870s

"The Madame B Album" is a photographic album created by Marie-Blanche Hennelle Fournier in the 1870s. The album features a collection of photographs, likely of family members or close friends, arranged around pressed fern leaves, a popular Victorian-era decorative technique known as *photo-collage*. This unique composition highlights the sentimental value placed on family and memory during this period. The album, now in the collection of The Art Institute of Chicago, exemplifies the artistic talent and personal expression found in amateur photography of the 19th century.