Identity elements
Reference code
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 Cartes- de- visite were superseded by Cabinet cards, a similar, larger format of roughly 4.5 x 6.5 inches, in the 1870s, but they remained popular into the 20th century.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