At first glance, boudoir photography may appear to be a relatively recent phenomenon. A product of contemporary culture, changing attitudes towards self-expression and the growing desire to celebrate individuality through portraiture. Yet the roots of boudoir reach far deeper than photography itself. The word boudoir originates from eighteenth-century France. Derived from the verb bouder, meaning "to withdraw" or "to sulk," it referred to a private room within a woman's home.