Countess de Castiglione with son George. Her son dressed as her. c1859 (Pierre-Louis Pierson):
Les Chiens (Countess de Castiglione) by Pierre-Louis Pierson:
Virginia Verasis de comtesse Castiglione - Bonnet de police en 1894:
Virginia four years before her death (Ermine Cloak, 1895):
Partially painted photograph of the Comtesse and her son Giorgio, 1862-67:
From "La Divine Comtesse", Photographs of the Countess de Castiglione:
Possessive and neglectful by turns, the Countess identified obsessively with her son, and commissioned a large number of photographs of him. No child of the period was ever photographed so frequently or so well as Giorgio.
Some of the strangest photographs dreamed up by the Countess are those in which she presents her six- or seven-year old son as a miniature version of herself. With his bare shoulders emerging from the drapes so prized by Nadar, his long hair wound into a low chignon and adorned with flowers, Giorgio's coquettish poses offer a faithful reflection of his mother.
La Dogaresse [Countess de Castiglion] by Pierre-Louis Pierson, 1861-67:
La Frayeur [Countess de Castiglione in White 18th-century Dress with Grape Garland Flees Fire] by Pierre-Louis Pierson (1861-67):
Le pardessus dècoré (feat. Countess de Castiglione), 1860s, Pierre-Louis Pierson:
L’Ecstase by Pierre-Louis Pierson, 1860s:
La taille by André-Adolphe-Eugène Disdéri, 1860s:
A beautiful portrait of Virginia:
