Description
Cartes de visite are a small type of
photograph patented in Paris, France in the 1850s, made when a photograph printed on thin
paper is mounted onto a thicker piece of paper. Cartes de visite were printed in a standard
size, 2 1/8" by 3 1/2", and mounted on a standard-sized piece of paper, 2 1/2" by 4".
Usually featuring individuals rather than landscapes or other subjects, cartes de visite
were inexpensive in comparison with other photographic prints available at the time, and
were enormously popular throughout the 1860s. They were sometimes displayed in sitting
rooms, or traded between friends and acquaintances as a popular Victorian hobby. The
collection consists of 11 cartes de visite.
Restrictions
Copyright for unpublished materials in this collection may be in the public domain.
Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.)
beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners.
Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the
copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.