[Nude Before a Mirror]

Bruno Braquehais

ca. 1857 · Albumen silver print from glass negative · Photographs

Académies, or nudes intended for use as preparatory studies for other artworks, were one of the most prolific forms of photography after the medium’s invention in 1839. Trained as a lithographer, Braquehais registered his first photographs for sale in 1854. Through the use of elaborate props, soft lighting, and poses based on classical statues, he elevated erotic imagery to the realm of the artistic, as defined by watchful state censors. Despite the provocative nature of this photograph, it would have been deemed acceptable due to its overt references to the established visual tradition of women at their toilettes.

Artist

Bruno Braquehais

Date

ca. 1857

Medium

Albumen silver print from glass negative

Department

Photographs

Credit line

Gilman Collection, Purchase, Mr. and Mrs. Henry R. Kravis Gift, 2005