Mlle Troisvalets 1863

This is André-Adolphe-Eugène Disdéri’s ‘Mlle Troisvalets’, an albumen silver print from around 1863, now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The photograph presents a grid of eight distinct poses of a woman, each capturing a slightly different perspective. Disdéri’s technical approach involves serial portraiture, a precursor to motion studies, where each frame contributes to a comprehensive view of the subject. The sepia tones and soft focus lend a romantic, ethereal quality. This compositional structure invites consideration through the lens of semiotics. Each pose functions as a sign, contributing to a broader narrative or understanding of the subject. The repetition and variation in poses challenge the singular, fixed representation of the individual, suggesting instead a fluid and multifaceted identity. This echoes a structuralist concern with how meaning is constructed through systems of difference and repetition. Ultimately, Disdéri’s formal arrangement, by undermining the notion of a single, authoritative image, opens up a space for interpreting identity as something constructed and performed.