Aïda, A Maid of Tangier

Adolf de Meyer

ca. 1906, printed 1912 · Platinum print · Photographs

Shaped by the values of the Aesthetic and Arts and Crafts movements, and aiming for the acceptance of photography as a fine art, Pictorialist photographers such as de Meyer paid special attention to craftsmanship in the presentation of their work. Here, he affixed his large platinum print to layered colored paper and signed it with a flourish. The elaborate mount provides a fitting frame for an image that luxuriates in rich fabrics and shimmering light. The power of the portrait derives from the juxtaposition of “exotic” excess with the young woman’s forthright expression.

Artist

Adolf de Meyer

Date

ca. 1906, printed 1912

Medium

Platinum print

Department

Photographs

Credit line

Alfred Stieglitz Collection, 1933