M A R I A
BEFORE
“Fascinated by her own beauty, the countess DA CASTIGLIONE (1837-1899) would attempt to caPture all its facets and recreate for the camera the defining moments of her life. Far from being merely a passive subject, it was she who decided the expresive content of the images and assumed the art director’s role, even to the point of choosing the camerA angle. She also gave precise directions on the enlargement and repainting of her images in order to transform the simple phOtographic documents into imaginary visions.” The Countess da Castiglione, Malcolm Daniel, Department of Photographs, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
“Nothing contributes so much tO tranquillize the mind as a steady purpose- a point on which the soul can focus its intellectual eye.�
Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
“Maila Nurm called herself a “failed housewife” and with the show she tried to reveal the dark underside of ’50s expectations of women. Interestingly, she did it by creating an image of aggression ratheR than victimization.” Vampira: Dark Goddess of Horror, W. Scott Poole
Remember The Suffragettes. Always Vote.
is a large piece of material tied or wrapped around the head to form a kind of turban. It was worn by Creole women in Louisiana beginning in the Spanish colonial period.This headdress was the result of The Tignon laws of 1786 that prescribed and enforced appropriate public dress, for female gens de couleur in colonial society. At this time in Louisiana history, women of African descent vied with white women in beauty, dress and manners. Many of them had become the placĂŠes of white, French, and Spanish Creole men. This incurred the jealousy and anger of their wives, mothers, sisters, daughters and fiancĂŠes. Illustration (page before) was inspired by painting Portrait d'une nĂŠgresse, 1800, Marie-Guillemine Benoist
“IN THE 17th and 18th century, the Salonnières stamp of approval determined what books were read, what plays were attended, and what art was purchased. Their influence was also felt in the creation of cultural institutions like the Academies, the Comédie Française, government pension lists, and the administration of the book trade. The modern world continues to benefit from the influence wielded by this unique group of women.” Women inWorld History: A Biographical Encyclopedia
DEMIMoN daIneS
“In 19th century, the influential Demi-Mondaine dared to be unapologetically bright, free-spirited, and indulgent, thus capturing and greatly affecting the minds of female members of the bourgeois world. Her sexual and financial independence defied the discourse, in which French women were defined solely in terms of their relationship to a man and the home.” The Gold and The Glitter: La Femme Célèbre et L'Ambitieuse, Diana Guber Illustration (page before), portraits of Liane De Pougy, Lin Cavaliéri and Cléo De Mérode
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The Teddy Girls' choices of clothes were not intended strictly for aesthetic effect; these girls were collectively rejecting post-war austerity. They were young working-class women from the poorer districts of London.
Cover: Countess da Castiglione (1837-1899) Before / January 2016 MARIA is a project by María María Acha-Kutscher www.acha-kutscher.com