Right now, Samina and I are each in the midst of individually creating our constructed Tessé period rooms, which include the presence of masters and servants respectively.

While the male servant was simply photoshopped out of the painting from which he came, entitled, “The Cellarboy” by the renowned artist
Jean-Simeon Chardin, the female servant has been constructed using numerous paintings within the Met’s expansive collection. The face of the female servant comes from the painting entitled, “Marie Adélaïde de Savoie (1685-1712), Duchesse de Bourgogne” by artist
Pierre Gobert.

Her arms were taken from the painting  “Portrait of a Woman, Called the Marquise Perrin de Cypierre” by Jean Marc Nattier. Her bonnet comes from the painting “Madame Jean-Baptiste Nicolet (Anne Antoinette Desmoulins, 1743-1817)” by Jean-Baptiste Greuze.

Her dress is a “robe à la française,” and dates to the third quarter of 18th century France and is made of ivory cotton printed in a multicolored floral motif. The fitted coat, also known as a caraco during the 18th century, was very fashionable throughout Europe during this era. It is made of cotton as well, and while it has a traditionally French aesthetic, it is, in fact, Dutch, mimicking the French style.

As I am someone who is fairly new to photoshop, the process of photoshopping these characters into this space was at first difficult, but became easier with practice. It has essentially been a process of trial and error, and I learned from online resources as well as from my peers. Samina, in particular, has been helpful throughout the process, assisting me as I learn the intricacies of Photoshop.

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