The Madame B Album
Medium
Albumen prints with watercolor (in album)
Dimensions
29.2 × 41.9 cm (11 1/2 × 16 1/2 in.)
Classification
photograph
Department
Photography and Media
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
201081
Art Historical Context
The Madame B Album, created by Marie-Blanche Hennelle Fournier in the 1870s, exemplifies the inventive spirit of early photography. Measuring 29.2 × 41.9 cm, this album pairs albumen prints—then the most common photographic process—with delicate watercolor additions. The result transforms straightforward photographic images into personalized works that bridge mechanical reproduction and handcrafted artistry. Albumen printing, prized for its sharp detail and warm tonal range, dominated photographic practice throughout the mid-to-late nineteenth century. By applying watercolor over these prints...
About the Artist
Marie-Blanche Hennelle Fournier · 1831–1906
Marie-Blanche Hennelle Fournier (1831–1906), known affectionately as Blanche, was a French artist whose life intertwined with the peripatetic world of diplomacy. As the second wife of career diplomat Hugues-Marie-Henri Fournier, she accompanied him on postings to Stockholm, Sweden, and later Rome, Italy, during the 1870s. The couple had a daughter, Pauline, born in 1855, whose portraits frequently...