Objects

This portrait photograph of Helena Rubinstein is taken in left profile (half-body), around 1893, in the photographic studio of Martens, Mais & Cie in Vienna. The woman is dressed in an elegant dark-coloured jacket with a delicate pattern, featuring slightly puffed sleeves and adorned with six large decorative buttons (three on each side). The jacket has an embellished collar, finished with embroidery at the top. Under the jacket, Helena Rubinstein wears a stylish lace shirt with a standing collar and a smooth vest. An oval-shaped brooch decorates the shirt just below the neck. Her head is adorned with a hat with a narrow, downward-curved brim and a wide ribbon embellishing the crown of the hat. The woman's hair is styled up, with slight waves at the front, and some strands fall onto her forehead. A visible earring is worn in her left ear. The background of the photograph is grey.

This photograph is mounted on light-brown card with slightly rounded corners. Below the photo, there is a margin, where the name of the photographic studio is printed on the left: “Martens, Mais & Cie | K.u.K FOFFOTOGRAFEN”. In the centre, there is the coat of arms of Austria-Hungary in blue and, on the right, is the location where the photo was taken: “WIEN I. | HEINRICHSHOF.” On the reverse side, there is a decorative print (vignette) featuring the coat of arms of Austria-Hungary, the name of the photographic studio, its address, as well as advertising slogans and decorative motifs.

This photograph of Helena Rubinstein dates from her Viennese period, when she was staying with family in Vienna and working at a fur shop. The image draws parallels to portrait No. 1 in the series, where the woman poses in the same blouse, with a brooch, has the same hairstyle and wears the identical earring in her ear.

Monika Harchut