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Carte-De-Visite
These old photographs originate from Paris, France. They
took the form of a small albumen print that was mounted on card. The
format of the photograph became an international standard and this
allowed friends and family to exchange portraits of each other for
their family portrait albums.
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The carte-de-visite portrait cards were preceded by calling cards.
These small cards were customarily presented during social visits and
were very much like the business cards of today.They
generally consisted of a name engraved on a glossy paper, although the
designs became more elaborate as time went on. By the 1850s, some
photographers had begun to add a photograph to the calling card, but
it was not until French photographer Andre Adolphe Disderi invented
his unique process that the carte-de-visite really took off.
Andre Disderie first patented the carte-de-visite photograph in 1854,
although the formula he used took another five years to achieve
widespread popularity.
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Carte de Visite
card size 2½ × 4 inches |
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Disderie used a sliding plate holder and a
camera with four lenses to produce eight negatives in one go, which
allowed eight prints to be produced at each printing.For several decades, the carte-de-visite photographs were very popular
in countries all over the world. Their size and method of manufacture
made them relatively inexpensive and therefore accessible to all.
Unlike the earlier old photographs made with daguerreotype and
ambrotype, carte-de-visite photographs could be posted through the
mail, and by 1863, they were so widespread that they were considered
to be the new “social currency”.
By the summer of 1859, carte-de-visite photographs had been introduced
to New York society and they soon found their niche as the American
Civil War gained momentum. Soldiers and their families posed for
carte-de-visite portraits before the soldiers left their loved ones
behind to fight in the war. For many of these families, the portraits
became a poignant memento of a husband, father, brother, or son who
never came home again.
In other countries, including England, the carte-de-visite photographs
were equally as popular. Queen Victoria collected dozens of albums
featuring carte-de-visites of royalty and other guests of social
prominence. Amongst the rest of the population, millions of the small
portrait cards were sold every year.
Today, many old photographs and original cart-de-visites remain in
collections across the world. They represent a fascinating glimpse of
a bygone era that existed before the days of modern photography,
email and social networking allowed family portraits to be sent in the
blink of an eye.
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