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Introduced to the French court in January 1856, the “pearl of Italy” set her sights on seducing Napoleon III. Understanding Napoleon III’s weakness for beautiful women, the countess was sent to France by the Italian prime minister to solicit support for the unification of Italy. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York recognized the novelty of this work beginning in 1975 and now has one of the most extensive collections in the country. Unique in the history of the medium, her photographic pursuits are now seen as precursors to the self-portraiture exploration of photographers like Cindy Sherman. Considered one of the most beautiful women in the world, the countess collaborated on hundreds of self-portraits made between 18. But for Virginia Oldoini, the Countess de Castiglione, challenging norms became her life’s work. The Countess de Castiglione, One-Time Mistress of Napoleon III, Spent Her Life Challenging Normsġ9th-century photographic representations of women tend to reflect societal constraints - subservience, commodification, piousness and maternalism.