Portret van Biana Duhamel before 1893

Curator: This is Nadar’s "Portrait of Biana Duhamel," a remarkable albumen print housed here at the Rijksmuseum, dating from before 1893. What catches your eye first? Editor: All that glorious fluff! It's theatrical, right? Like a character stepping out of a bohemian dream. Makes you want to write a play just for her. Curator: Precisely! Nadar’s studio was a hub for theatrical personalities, and understanding the evolving role of women in the Parisian entertainment industry at the time enriches how we see this portrait. There’s agency there. Editor: Definitely a sense of performance. You can almost hear the rustle of silk and the murmur of a Parisian salon. Photography freezing a moment in time, a bit like catching lightning in a bottle. I also like how the severe tones emphasize texture. Curator: And consider that Nadar himself was quite the character—an artist, balloonist, and vocal advocate for social change. His photographic portraits aimed to capture not just likeness but the inner spirit, the individual’s essence within a rapidly changing society. Editor: Right! Forget the stuffy formal portraits of the time; he seemed interested in getting something truer out of his sitters. He's letting her personality bubble up. Curator: The performative nature you sensed interacts powerfully with emerging discourses of female empowerment during that era. Nadar presented many actresses, situating them beyond purely domestic spheres. Editor: The pose is playful, almost conspiratorial. I keep wondering what her story is—what's she thinking, what was the conversation like in Nadar's studio? Curator: And it underscores photography's evolving role—moving beyond mere documentation to an artistic medium capable of expressing complex ideas about identity, profession, and social role. Editor: It’s almost as if you get to peer in. Makes me realize, seeing this, that every photo is a little time machine—a whisper from the past. Thanks for helping me hear it better. Curator: My pleasure. These visual encounters help us challenge preconceptions and build more complete, interconnected stories of the past.