[Female Nude from the Back]

Unknown

1870s

[Female Nude from the Back] by Unknown

Medium

Platinum print

Dimensions

11.0 x 15.3 cm (4 5/16 x 6 in.)

Classification

Photographs

Department

Photographs

Museum

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

Credit

David Hunter McAlpin Fund, 1943

Accession Number

43.87.26

Tags

Female Nudes

Art Historical Context

This evocative *Female Nude from the*, captured in the 1870s, exemplifies the dawn of photography as a fine art medium. Produced as a platinum print—a pioneering technique introduced around 1873—this small-scale image (11.0 x 15.3 cm) showcases the nude female form viewed from behind, emphasizing graceful contours and subtle musculature. The anonymity of the artist underscores the's experimental spirit, when photographers pushed boundaries to rival painting's intimacy and realism. Platinum prints were revolutionary for their extraordinary tonal range, from deep blacks to delicate highlights, ...

About the Artist

Unknown

The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...

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