The Countess de Castiglione

Standing on a pedestal to display the enormity of her gown, the countess’s powdered white hair accentuates the ostrich feathers of her tilted hat. Every detail of her presentation is carefully considered for maximum effect, yet the extraneous details of Pierson’s studio are also in full view. Castiglione worked closely with Pierson, overseeing all aspects of the postproduction of her portraits, including cropping, enlarging, and hand coloring. This photograph—which features the odd repetition of the left side of the image on the right side—includes many details that would have later been removed from the final print.