Friday, June 22, 2012

Photo by Ricard Twardzick

I found this image while leafing through Photodiscovery – Masterworks of Photography 1840 -1940 by Bruce Bernard at my Vancouver Public Library. I hurried home to scan the picture. The photograph, an albumen print, was taken in the latter part of the 19th century by noted Polish photographer Ricard Twardzick. I am amazed that it seems to have a very contemporary look.

Then on a different page I noticed the picture you see below. It is taken by a now unknown Turkish photographer called A Ertuğ. Could this be the same model? Is the tattoo that of a salamander? I suspect that this woman may have been a belly dancer or courtesan.



Photo by A Ertuğ