Episode 23: Layer Cake

Brassaï took three photographs of a woman named Madame Bijou in a bar called Cafe du Lune in 1932. She was a mysterious woman also known as La Môme Bijou. She has inspired playrights, film directors, and artists through the years although very little is known about her.

Director James Cameron’s pencil copy of Brassaï’s photograph was featured in a scene in his hugely successful film, Titanic.

Brassaï was skilled at darkroom tricks. This photograph was created by blacking out the right side of the negative so that it appears as if one of the gang members are looking at the photographer behind a wall.

This photograph, taken in 1931 but likely printed later, has been ferrotyped. This process gives the surface of a photograph a highly glossy appearance, which Brassaï favored. However, it is believed that he was using his dressing mirror as a surface for drying his prints, so any dust or scratches on the surface of the mirror would transfer to the print itself. Additionally, if part of the print tried faster than the rest, a mark would appear on the surface as well. It is very common for Brassaï’s prints to have tiny pits, scratches, fingerprints, and/or a tell-tale strip at the perimeter that appears matte compared to the rest of the print.

A wonderful tutorial on making ferrotyped prints can be found here: