The Madame B Album c. 1870s

Editor: We are looking at "The Madame B Album," dating to the 1870s. It is comprised of albumen prints, showcasing photography, and residing right here at the Art Institute of Chicago. Created by Marie-Blanche Hennelle Fournier, it reminds me of someone's treasured personal sketchbook. What really captures your attention in this collection of prints? Curator: What speaks to me? Ah, everything whispers secrets! You know, these aren’t just stiff portraits and landscapes. They are deeply personal—hints of a life lived, loves, losses. The angles, almost casual… like peering through a keyhole into someone’s world. The house exteriors, interiors, and the odd still life… I wonder about the stories each photo held for Madame B. What caught her eye? Why did she feel the urge to immortalize them within an album? And isn't it curious how the arrangement is not linear, chronological but more… intuitive? Editor: That makes sense. I hadn’t considered the choices made in arranging the photos within the album, giving it a more intimate dimension, a story without words, in some respects. Curator: Exactly! We can almost see Madame B selecting each memory, framing them with intention or perhaps joyful abandon. Imagine the weight of that album, the feel of the prints beneath your fingers… A portable universe, entirely her own. Editor: It's amazing how something like an old photo album can speak volumes if we pause and really look at it. I really got a better sense of the depth albums have that is not immediately visible. Curator: Yes, the surface of the ordinary concealing whole worlds, and as artists, that’s all we ever search for.