Pierre-Louis Pierson

Pierre-Louis Pierson (1822–1913) was a French photographer who became one of the most celebrated portraitists of the Second Empire and Belle Époque periods. He is best known for his long collaboration with the Countess of Castiglione (Virginia Oldoini), with whom he produced an extraordinary series of staged self-portrait photographs that are considered pioneering works in the history of conceptual and performative photography. His studio, Mayer & Pierson, was one of the most prestigious in Paris, and his work is held in major museum collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art.