Composite portrait of 59 women,

ca. 1870s

This composite photograph assembles fifty-nine women, all wearing the Chilean manto, a veil similar to the Spanish mantilla, traditionally worn on Sundays. As was common practice at the time, the publisher of this image took negatives from separate carte-de-visite portrait sessions and combined the images of the women into one picture. From various negatives of individuals that held value only for those depicted and those who knew them, the photographer produced an image with typological interest that could appeal to a wide array of customers. The women appear to belong together based on their visual similarities, but one wonders what they might have thought of this artificial conglomeration.