Salem, the Prince of Tombouctou: A North African Model in Nineteenth-Century Paris

A City of One’s Own: The Parisian Letters of the Swedish Painter Hanna Hirsch-Pauli

“…The community of models in nineteenth-century Paris consisted mainly of immigrants, the majority of whom came from Italy, and of marginal ethnic groups, such as Jews and Roma. [118] As Marie Lathers notes, during the mid-nineteenth century the Jewish woman was regarded as "the epitome of the model," and the belle Juive (beautiful Jewish woman) symbolized an ideal beauty that contributed to the era's fascination with the Orientale (Oriental woman). [119] As a Jewish woman and a member of the upper-middle class, Hirsch occupied an ambiguous position at the Académie Colarossi.…”

Narrative Painting in Nineteenth-Century Europe by Nina Lübbren

“…In an article published in Nineteenth-Century Art Worldwide in 2022 (in which Biard's study was reproduced), Susan Waller, an authority on nineteenth-century artists' models in France, wrote that in the first half of the nineteenth century "there were a number of Blacks posing in Parisian studios, but the names and histories of these men and women are largely unknown." [27] Indeed, as Waller shows, it is not until the second half of the century that contemporary interest in artists' models led to increased knowledge about their names, ages, and backgrounds. We may never know the identity or the life story of the model who posed for Biard's studies.…”

“Far too black”: Fanny Eaton, Simeon Solomon, and The Mother of Moses (original version)

“…Art historian Susan Waller has noted this common practice, especially in regard to Black models: "Performing for an audience of one, a model's identity was eclipsed by that of the figure whom they impersonated on the model stand." [5] While this practice was common in London's academic world, there was a significant, radical difference for the Pre-Raphaelites and their followers. They selected models who were usually family and friends as well as people they found among the working classes in London, all of whom were typically unaccustomed to working as models.…”