Lillian Russell, from the Actresses series (T123, Type 1), issued by Neil McCoull Co.
ca. 1897
Medium
Albumen print
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 5/16 in. × 2 in. (5.8 × 5.1 cm)
Classification
Photographs|Ephemera
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, Gift of Jefferson R. Burdick
Accession Number
63.350.246.123.1
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate albumen print captures the celebrated American actress Lillian Russell around 1897, part of the Actresses series (T123 Type 1) issued by Neil McCoull Co. Measuring just over two inches square, the photograph exemplifies the-scale formats popular for trading cards and promotional ephemera at the turn of the century. Albumen prints, prized for their rich tonal range and fine detail, were the dominant photographic medium of the era, allowing for affordable reproduction of celebrity images that could be collected, traded, or tucked into albums. Lillian Russell, one of the most famou...