Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History


    • Related Multimedia

    Philippe de Montebello (Director Emeritus) and Malcolm Daniel (Department of Photographs) discuss Woman Seen from the Back (2005.100.1) (July 2008).

    Woman Seen from the Back, ca. 1862
    Onésipe Aguado (French, 1827–1894)
    Salted paper print from glass negative
    Gilman Collection, Purchase, Joyce F. Menschel Gift, 2005 (2005.100.1)

    This picture is at once a portrait, a fashion plate, and a jest. The elaborate chignon (obviously the handiwork of a skillful maid), the discreet jewelry, and the luxurious fabrics all indicate a woman of rank, the epitome of comme il faut. Although we may be curious to know who she is, her identity may be of less importance than the compelling sense of mystery she projects. A companion image showing the same woman in profile reveals a troubled countenance and a receding chin.

    Virtually unknown and uncelebrated before appearing on the cover of The Waking Dream, the catalogue of the Metropolitan's 1993 exhibition of masterpieces from the Gilman Paper Company Collection, Aguado's picture is now recognized as among the most elegant and enigmatic portraits of its time.

    This work of art also appears on Connections: Anonymous , Bad Hair , The Ideal Woman

    Related

    Index Terms

    Artist

    Material and Technique

    Subject Matter/Theme


    This work has been published in the Museum's Bulletin or Journal. These articles may or may not represent the most current scholarship.
  • . "Recent Acquisitions, A Selection: 2004–2005," The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 63, no. 2 (Fall, 2005).
    JSTOR | PDF
  • . "Recent Acquisitions, A Selection: 2004–2005," The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 63, no. 2 (Fall, 2005).
    JSTOR | PDF
  • . "Recent Acquisitions, A Selection: 2004–2005," The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 63, no. 2 (Fall, 2005).
    JSTOR | PDF
  • . "Recent Acquisitions, A Selection: 2004–2005," The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 63, no. 2 (Fall, 2005).
    JSTOR | PDF
  • Mayor, A. Hyatt. "The World of Atget." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New ser., v. 10, no. 6 (February, 1952)
    JSTOR | PDF
  • Mayor, A. Hyatt. "The World of Atget." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New ser., v. 10, no. 6 (February, 1952)
    JSTOR | PDF
  • Daniel, Malcolm. Stieglitz, Steichen, Strand: Masterworks from The Metropolitan Museum of Art
    • Not on view
    Move Separator Print
    Close

    • Woman Seen from the Back, ca. 1862
    Onésipe Aguado (French, 1827–1894)
    Salted paper print from glass negative
    Gilman Collection, Purchase, Joyce F. Menschel Gift, 2005 (2005.100.1)


    Move
    Close