Figure 1.--We begin to see large numbers of CDVs in Britain during the 1860s. Here we see an unidentified English boy. All we know about him was that he was 4-years old. He is wearing a cut-away jacket with heavily embroidered bloomer knickers and is holding a military-styled cap. Notice the socks and bare legs. American boys wore long stockings. The portrait was taken in October 1869. Notice the square corners and the absence of studio information on the front. It was the standard 4" by 2 1/2" size. The studio was David Hains in Kensington which was a toney London neighborhood..

he first commercial negative process was the albumen print. This began with the carte-de-viste (CDV) which was first appeared in France during the early-1850s, but were not immediately popular. We are not sure when the first English studio appeared. We do not see many English CDVs from the 1850s, but we do see large numbers from the early-60s. The turning point appeas to have been when André Adolphe Eugène Disdéri, a French CDV pioneer, began selling CDVs of Emperor Napoleon III. This made the format an overnight sensation. ags and Anmbros were family images. With CDVs you could not only have family portraits, but portraits of famous people. This wa enormously popular in the days before photographs could be published in magazines and newspapers. The phenomenon was called 'cardomania'. The same trend was obsereveable in America. CDVs were all a fairly standard size, both in France and the other countries like England where they became popular. The size was chosen to be that of a calling card which explains the name. They were used like calling cards in polite society. And albums quickly appeared to archive the CDVs and share with visitior in the family parlor. The CDV was hugely popular in England. We suddenly see an exponential increase in the number of photographic portraits in the form of CDVs. The Daguerreotype was introduced (1840s), but we see a rather limited number of Dags made in England and the same was true with Ambros when they were introduced (1850s). The CDV was a very different matter. The CDV was the dominant format by the 1860s. Many early CDVs had square corners and did not have the studio information on the front. The CDV continued to be the principal commercial photographic portrait in the 1870s and even the 80s. The cabinet cards were slower to catch on in England than was the case in America. We notice that some English mounts during the 1870s were very basic with just the studio and city printed in block letters. The studio at the left and the city at the right. This was very common in England. Later the CDVs began to look like small cabinet cards.

Chronology

The first commercial negative process was the albumen print. This began with the carte-de-viste (CDV) which was first appeared in France during the early-1850s, but were not immediately popular. We are not sure when the first English studio appeared. We do not see many English CDVs from the 1850s. There may have been some from the very-late=50s. We do see large numbers from the 1860s, beginning in the very early-60s. The turning point appears to have been when André Adolphe Eugène Disdéri, a French CDV pioneer, began selling CDVs of Emperor Napoleon III. This made the format an overnight sensation. Dags and Ambros were family images. With CDVs an individual could not only have family portraits, but could purchase portraits of famous people as well. The difference of course was the negatives which could be used to reproduced the images in large numbers. This was enormously popular in the days before photographs could be published in magazines and newspapers. The phenomenon was called 'cardomania'. The same trend was observeable in America. As in America, the early CDVs have square corers. The posing of early-CDVs is not as uniform as is the case of American CDVs. This may reflect the relative popuilarity of albums. Thus we see large number of British photographs for the first time in the 1860s. And as a result, we know a great deal about English in the 1860s, much more than any previous period in English history.

Terminology

CDVs were all a fairly standard size, both in France and the other countries like England where they became popular. The size was chosen to be that of a calling card which explains the name. They were used like calling cards in polite society. And albums quickly appeared to archive the CDVs and share with visitior in the family parlor.

Prevalence

The CDV proved hugely popular in England. It was the most prevakebt 19th century photographic format. We suddenly see an exponential increase in the number of photographic portraits in the form of CDVs. The Daguerreotype was introduced (1840s), but we see a rather limited number of Dags made in England and the same was true with Ambros when they were introduced (1850s). This contrast with the huge number made in America. The CDV was a very different matter. The CDV appeared in the 1850s, but did not become wildly popular until about 1860. For the first time we begin to see really large numbers of Englih photographic images. This means that for the first time do we have an astonishing prevalence of photgraphic images. We thus know virtually everything about priod fashion styles, except for color. The CDV continued to be the principal commercial photographic portrait in the 1870s and even the 80s. The cabinet cards were slower to catch on in England than was the case in America. We see very few English canbinet cards in the 870s. Almost all the portraits we find from the 70s are CDVs. We se caninet cards in the 80s, but the CDV continued to be very popular. Only in the 1890s do we see rge popularity of the CDV wain, but we continue to see some even after the turn-of the 20th century.

Mounts

The characteristics of CDV mounts varied over time. These characteristics if the chronology is understood can help date undated CDVs. The changes in England seem similar to those that we noted in the United States. Many early CDVs had square corners and did not have the studio information on the front. We begin to see rounded corners in the 1870s. We notice that some English mounts during the 1870s were still very basic with just the studio and city printed in block letters. The studio at the left and the city at the right. This was very common in England during the 1870s. Later the CDVs began to look like small cabinet cards. We see this in the 1880s by which time cabinet cards were becoming increasingly popular. We also see very elaborate backs. We have only a small number of dated English CDVs. Thus we are only beginning to work outg theif the chronology is understood chronology of these basic characteristics.

Created: 4:16 AM 7/14/2012
Last updated: 7:23 PM 4/9/2015