Cartes-de-Visite photographs

Abraham, Miriam Abraham, Sol Abraham, Julia (Hinkle) Abrams, Sarah Lavina (Phelps) Acker, Lillie (Hadlock) Adair, Florence Adair, Inez V. Owens-Adair, Dr. Bethenia Owens-Adair, Dr. Bethenia Adams, Enoch G. Adams, Reverend Sebastian Cabot Adams, Reverend Sebastian Cabot Adams, W. L. Adair, S. D. Aiken, Edgar and (unidentified) Tranberg Aiken, James Akin, Franklin Street Aiken, James Akin, Louis Allen, R. S Allen, W. H. Alvord, Gen. Benjamin Alvord, Gen. Benjamin Ambler, Dave Applegate, Fannie Applegate, Lindsay Arnold Atkeson, Melvina
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Identity elements

Reference code

Org. Lot 500

Name and location of repository

Level of description

Collection

Title

Cartes-de-Visite photographs

Date(s)

  • 1855 - 1905 (Creation)

Extent

1.24 cubic feet, (10 card boxes (5.5 x 12 x 3.25 in.)) : 2,161 cartes- de- visite photographs

Content and structure elements

Scope and content

Cartes- de- visite are a form of card photograph popular from around 1860 to the early 1900s, typically used for portraiture. The common construction of these cards consists of a thin albumen print mounted on a thicker card backing measuring 2.5 x 4 inches. André Adolphe-Eugène Disdéri patented the process of creating these photo cards in Paris in 1854, streamlining the process of commercial portraiture. Cartes- de- visite were traded among friends and visitors and they were popularly displayed in albums. In the United States, cartes- de- visite were a staple of commercial photographers during the Civil War as a means of selling inexpensive portraits of soldiers and their loved ones. Photographs of celebrities, military, and political figures were also popular for collecting and trading. Cartes- de- visite were superseded by Cabinet cards, a similar, larger format of roughly 4.5 x 6.5 inches, in the 1870s, but they remained popular into the 20th century.

This artificial collection was accumulated from accessions containing cartes- de- visite photographs acquired prior to 2010 by the Oregon Historical Society Research Library. The cartes- de- visite were originally part of a topical photograph collection and were separated into their own collection to address preservation concerns. The numbering scheme for the collection reflects their original placement within the topical photograph collection. As a result, numbering in this collection is not sequential. The collection includes portraits taken from about 1855 through the early 1900s. Many of the portraits have attached biographical information. Portraits by many well-known Oregon photography studios are represented in this collection, including Joseph Buchtel, Andrew B. Paxton, Isaac G. Davidson, Peter Britt, and F. A. Smith. The collection also contains images of locomotives, ships, buildings, and landscapes in the Pacific Northwest.

Also included is the Photographer Study Collection, which contains sample work from several studios in Oregon, California, and Washington. The portraits in this series are unidentified with the exception of a small selection of portraits that were identified after the collection was assembled.

In addition to Oregon-related materials, the collection includes cartes- de- visite of notable military, political, and celebrity figures from the late 19th century. The most common subjects are American Civil War portraits, a series of illustrations of George and Martha Washington, European notables cards, and advertisements.

System of arrangement

Arranged into 6 series: Series 1. Portraits, 1854-1900; Sub-Series 1.1. Identified; Subseries 1.2. Unidentified; Sub-Series 1.3. Portraits unrelated to Oregon; Series 2. Photographer Study Collection; Series 3. Locations, 1854-1900; Series 4. Transportation, 1854-1900; Series 5. Military, 1854-1900; Series 6. Advertisements, 1854-1900.

Conditions of access and use elements

Conditions governing access

The collection is open to the public.

Physical access

Stored off-site.

Technical access

Conditions governing reproduction

No Copyright - United States: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/

Languages of the material

  • English

Scripts of the material

Language and script notes

Acquisition and appraisal elements

Custodial history

Immediate source of acquisition

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information

Accruals

Related materials elements

Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

Related archival materials

Related descriptions

Notes element

Specialized notes

  • Citation: Cartes-de-Visite Collection, Org. Lot 500, Oregon Historical Society Research Library

Alternative identifier(s)

Description control element

Rules or conventions

Sources used

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Accession area