Napoleon Sarony (New York, 1821-1896)

Actress Wrapped in a Blanket During a Snowstorm Albumen cabinet card, 4 x 5.5 inches, circa 1885 Sarony was unquestionably the leading theatrical photographer of his time. He was famous for his use of backdrops and props: "An Egyptian mummy stood guard by the door [to Sarony's reception room], its case covered by wire screens to prevent probing and curious fingers from rending its wrappings. Stuffed birds, Russian sleighs, Chinese gods, ancient armor, pictures running the whle range of merit, were present in profusion. It was indeed 'a dumping ground for the dealers in unsalable idols, tattered carpentry, and indigent crocodiles.'" The identity of the actress shown in this snowy scene is unknown. A clue to the role may be found in the blanket, which appears to be a Navajo design. The blanket takes on a strange see-through character at the lower left, emphasizing the implied nudity of the woman's legs. Unclothed female legs were considered to be an unacceptable sexual display in the Victorian era, when nudity was taboo. In 1892, the New York Times editorialized, “Probably the pictorial exhibition of the shameless woman on the New-York theatrical stage was never bolder or more common than it is in this hour when a civilized community might be expected to have no humor for trifling, and to take life seriously... To denounce these performers by name is merely to advertise them. They want to be denounced. No one knows better than they, except their managers, that they have abandoned all right to respect and are devoid of all that is charming in womanhood. Audacity is their only gift; notoriety is necessary to their existence..” Perhaps Sarony was able to sell copies of this photograph because the actress was actually clothed in flesh-colored tights; if so, both the "nudity" and the snowstorm in the image are illusory.

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