Hermine and Marie Antoine
1850s–60s
Medium
Albumen silver print from glass negative
Dimensions
19.2 x 11.1 cm (7 9/16 x 4 3/8 in. )
Classification
Photographs
Department
Photographs
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
David Hunter McAlpin Fund, 1948
Accession Number
48.83.37
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the mid-19th century, as photography emerged as a revolutionary medium, Franz Antoine captured intimate family moments with remarkable clarity. *Hermine and Marie Antoine (1850s–60s), an albumen print from a glass negative depicts two young girls—likely the artist's daughters—in a tender portrait. Measuring just 19.2 x 11.1 cm, its compact carte-de-visite format made it ideal for personal albums or sharing among loved ones, reflecting the era's growing accessibility of photography beyond elite studios. The albumen process, using egg whites to coat paper with light-sensitive silver salts, p...
About the Artist
Franz Antoine · 1815–1886
Franz Antoine (1815–1886) was an Austrian botanist and horticulturalist who served as court gardener at the Imperial Gardens of Schönbrunn in Vienna, one of the most celebrated horticultural establishments in nineteenth-century Europe. His career unfolded at the intersection of scientific botany and the decorative arts of the garden, positioning him as a key figure in the cultivation and documenta...