Verzameling ('mosaïque') van portretten van bekende vrouwen ('Sommités'), Frankrijk c. 1858 - 1870

This is a photographic print titled "Verzameling ('mosaïque') van portretten van bekende vrouwen ('Sommités')" made in France by André-Adolphe-Eugène Disdéri. The mosaic of portraits presents a tightly packed array of faces, each framed within the limited tonal range of the sepia print. The composition emphasizes the collective, with individual identities merging into a unified field of representation. The arrangement doesn't seem to follow a strict hierarchy, suggesting a deliberate flattening of social space. The act of assembling these portraits into a mosaic is a comment on the nature of representation itself. It challenges the singularity of the photographic image, instead proposing a multiplicity that mirrors the complex social identities of its subjects. The mosaic form destabilizes conventional notions of portraiture, inviting us to consider how collective representations shape our understanding of individuals.