The advent of photography in the 19th century marked the birth of a new artistic discipline and paved the way for an unprecedented and remarkably effective method of representing reality. Artists rapidly grasped the scope of this transformation: they portrayed themselves (alone or with colleagues), documented their work spaces, and made the effort to graphically record both their creative processes and the final materialisation of their works.

Based on the holdings of the Museo del Prado, specifically the archives of Luis and Federico de Madrazo, Dióscoro Puebla, Rafael Rocafull, Cecilio Pla, Agustín Querol, Miguel Blay, Fernanda Francés and Manuel González Santos, the exhibition brings together photographs by renowned professionals alongside other anonymous and possibly amateur creations. Created using a range of techniques and formats, taken as a whole this group of images makes it possible to trace a visual map of the presence of artists in their domestic contexts, studios and various spaces of social interaction and learning, as well as in alternative creative settings, such as the evocative Patio de las Doncellas in the Real Alcázar in Seville.

The exhibition is intended as a tribute to the male and female creators who were active in the 19th and early 20th centuries, with a particular acknowledgement of those who understood photography as a privileged medium for ensuring the preservation of their image and artistic practice over time.