At the turn of the 20th century, European and American fine-art
photographers embraced processes and aesthetic approaches imitative of drawing
and painting as a means of distinguishing themselves from run-of-the-mill commercial
studios and the legions of Sunday snapshooters with their newfangled Kodaks. Here,
Heinrich Kühn depicted his children’s governess engaged in her intimate morning
rituals in a technique that shares the appearance of a softly rendered red-chalk
drawing.