Adah Isaacs Menken

A carte-de-visite portrait of Adah Isaacs Menken (1835-1868), one of the most notorious actresses of all time. She scandalised and enthralled audiences in equal measure when she appeared as Mazeppa, scantily clad and strapped to the back of a horse. A number of famous men were fascinated by her, including Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, and Alexandre Dumas, père.

Photographer and location unidentified.