Portret van Fräulein Helmer 1879

This card, portraying Fräulein Helmer, was made in Berlin in 1876 by Sophus Williams, using photographic techniques and printing. The stereoscopic card format was extremely popular at the time, as it allowed a semblance of three-dimensionality when viewed through a special device. The card's materiality is humble. The image itself, likely a collodion print, has a subdued tonal range; the colors were added later. It’s one of many portraits produced by the artist for the series "Celebrities Theatrales", which aimed to capture famous personalities of the stage. The creation of these photographic cards was a labor-intensive process involving skilled photographers, printers, and colorists. Each stage demanded precision and expertise. These cards were relatively inexpensive consumer items, produced in an era when photography was becoming more accessible to the masses, yet portraiture still represented a significant marker of social status. Consider this card as an artifact of its time, reflecting the rise of celebrity culture and the democratization of image-making. By recognizing the value of photography, we move beyond traditional art boundaries.