Clara Pilvois; Elise Parent 1863

André-Adolphe-Eugène Disdéri was a French photographer renowned for his carte-de-visite portraits, small-sized photographs that became immensely popular in the mid-19th century. This album page from 1863 features a series of six images of Clara Pilvois, a dancer, captured in a variety of poses and costumes, showcasing Disdéri's mastery in capturing movement and capturing the essence of his subjects. The "carte-de-visite" format allowed for the dissemination of photographic portraits, popularizing photography as an art form and a means of documenting daily life in the Victorian era. The work is currently housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.