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Emma Abbott plays the role of Josephine, the French Empress in this black and white posed photograph. She stands before a stage backdrop showing a palace interior room decorated with tapestries and thick curtains. She faces forward with her right arm extended before her. Her hand is open, her palm up, as if she is greeting a courtier coming toward her from her right side. Her head is turned halfway to the right, and she looks in that direction. Her lips are parted, but not smiling. With two ringlets positioned on her brow, her curly hair is gathered into a bun at the back. She wears a small, jeweled crown on the top of her head. It stands about 4 inches above her head, and is not more than 4 inches wide. Single gem earrings dangle from her ears. With her left hand she leans lightly on a table that is positioned on her left side. A fan hangs from her thumb and first fingers. Her full-length dress is empire style. Its fabric is thin, perhaps silk, and it drapes gently from the decorative band above her waist to the floor. The off-the-shoulder neckline and short, bouffant sleeves have an embroidered border that is duplicated at the hem of the dress. A pattern of exotic ferns and flowers extending from the hem to mid-thigh embellish the skirt of her light-colored gown. A short train extends from the back of the dress to her right.
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