The Madame B Album c. 1870s

Marie-Blanche Hennelle Fournier created this artwork in France sometime in the late 19th century, using watercolor and photographs on paper. Here, we see an album page displaying photographic portraits of dogs. We can consider this work in relation to the rising middle class during the 19th century, which brought new social and cultural expectations. Owning pets became a new status symbol, and this interest in companion animals intersected with the development of photography. The dogs are posed like human subjects, in a studio with props, reflecting the growing commodification of pets. The album itself could be regarded as a proto-Instagram, with individuals using this medium to broadcast their personal lives. How were these images viewed? Who was in the artist's social circle? A historian can use a range of sources, such as letters and diaries, to provide richer insights into the cultural world that produced them. Ultimately, the meaning of this artwork is tied to the social and institutional contexts of its time.