Simone
1907
Edgar Chahine captures the height of Belle Époque fashion—literally—in this 1907 portrait of a woman named Simone. Her hair is piled so high it looks like a storm cloud of fine, scratchy lines, dwarfing her delicate face as she glances back over her shoulder. This piece reflects the elegance of the Symbolist movement, focusing on mood and texture over strict realism. The massive 'pouf' hairstyle was all the rage in Paris at the time, often requiring cushions and wire frames to achieve such gravity-defying heights!