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[Female Nude with Mask]

ca. 1870
Not on view
Even as she seems to part her tresses to expose her naked body, the model here masks her face in an effort to conceal her identity. While drawing, painting, and sculpture of the human figure commonly involve elements of transformation, idealization, or the combination of features from various models, photography usually presents a recognizable image of its subject. It was not uncommon, therefore, for models who routinely posed nude for artists in other media to hide their faces when standing naked before the camera. For the viewer—not always an artist looking for help in figure drawing—the mask added an element of erotic frisson.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: [Female Nude with Mask]
  • Artist: Unknown (French)
  • Date: ca. 1870
  • Medium: Albumen silver print from glass negative
  • Dimensions: Image: 26 x 19.1 cm (10 1/4 x 7 1/2 in.)
  • Classification: Photographs
  • Credit Line: Gilman Collection, Gift of The Howard Gilman Foundation, 2005
  • Object Number: 2005.100.208
  • Curatorial Department: Photographs

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