Mme Colette Willy

Portrait: Woman, Supports, Women of Mark

Dimensions

Image Dimensions: 15.3 x 21.2 cm Série 1 Planche 33
Support Dimensions: 29.5 x 41.3 cm — primary support: 20.2 x 26.6 cm

Associated Highlights:

L’Épreuve Photographique: The Photographic Print - 1904-1905

Colette: (Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette)  1873-1954

This studio portrait of the French novelist and performer known as Colette was taken when she was perhaps 30 or 31, and was still married to Henri Gauthier-Villars, who was known as “Willy”.

The photographic studio of Haweis and Coles was based in Paris.

Variances in the width of the white plate borders (when included) exist throughout L’Épreuve Photographique. However, as found in this example, a remnant of a border (along top margin) has not been completely trimmed from the image impression (as intended) before it was glued to its primary support. Another example of this plate in our archive lacks the remnant, so inconsistencies- serendipitous or not, do occur, although infrequently.

Original copy for this entry posted to Facebook on October 16, 2011:

Where possible, we strive to include the supporting mounting material with photographic plates on PhotoSeed whenever possible, in order to preserve artist intent. In the case of the French portfolio publication L’Épreuve Photographique, (1904-05) of which this portrait of the French novelist Colette is one example, great care was made by its Parisian publisher to match multiple-colored art paper supports with their originals.