The essay analyzes representations of opera singer Lina Cavalieri (1874-1944) that were disseminated by photographic postcards created at the time of the Belle Epoque, which are compared with her career on the stage. Was observed that her portraits had been associated with stereotypes of fragility and female dependence, although them were produced during her time at the stage, when tended to occasionally disprove those stereotypes. But them also had establish dialogue with some favorable trends as a new sexual ethics, as well as the expansion of feminine workspaces, and self-affirmation in the public space.
Lina Cavalieri; photographic portraits; postcards; Belle Epoque; gender