French Photographs: Types


Figure 1.--This is one of the latest cabinet cards we have found in the photograpic record. But we notice French cabinet cards into the 1930s and early-40s. It was a portrait taken in 1940. Notice the cyan print and the destinctive mount style.

We have only begun to assess French portrait types and how they compared with similar types in other countries. We have not yet found French Daguerreotypes and Ambrotypes. We know they existed, but were done in far fewer numbers than in America. We have not yet been able to archive any examples on HBC. Albumen prints rapidly became the dominant portrait type (1860s). The CDV was the primary type, but we also see cabinet cards. We note large numbers of CDVs that look similar to American and other European CDVs. We are not yet sure about cabinet cards as we have so few examples. The CDV seems to have been much more popular in France than the cabinet card. We are as a result, unable to develop trends in French cabinet cards. We do note cabinet cards being done as late as 1940. They disappeared earlier in other countries. We do not notice them after World War II. Nor have we been able to assess the styles of paper frame portraits. Postcards were very popular in France. We note both commercial post cards and postcard-back snap shots. France had a very large commercial postcard industry. There were several important companies. We know less about the podtcard-back snapshots at this time.

Early Types

We have only begun to assess French portrait types and how they compared with similar types in other countries. We have not yet found French Daguerreotypes and Ambrotypes. We know they existed, but were done in far fewer numbers than in America. This is rather curtiousd because the Daguerreotypes were invented in France. We believe it has to do with the copyright laws. We have not yet been able to archive any examples on HBC. We do not know if Ambrotypes wre done in France.

Tintypes

We do not yet have any information on French tintypes.

Albumen Prints

Albumen prints rapidly became the dominant portrait type (1860s). The carte-de-visite (CDV) like the Daguerreotype was invented in France. As the name suggests, the origins of the carte-de-viste (CDV) using a negative process was French (1851). Another source indicates that a French photographer, André-Adolphe-Eugène Disdéri, introduced the CDV (1854). We do not, however, begin to see many actual examples until the end of the decade. Unlike Daguerreotypes, we have found large numbers of French CDVs, although not until the 1860s. We are unsure why they did not become more popular in the 1850s. The CDV was the primary type, but we also see cabinet cards. We note large numbers of CDVs that look similar to American and other European CDVs. We are not yet sure about cabinet cards as we have so few examples. The cabinent card appeared in America (1866). We are not sure when they first appeared in France. The CDV seems to have been much more popular in France than the cabinet card. We are as a result, unable to develop trends in French cabinet cards. We do note cabinet cards being done as late as 1940. They disappeared earlier in other countries. We do not notice them after World War II.

Paper Frames

We have noy yet been able to assess the styles of paper frame portraits. These were mostly silver-nitrate prints.

Postcards

Postcards were very popular in France. We note both commercial post cards and postcard-back snap shots. France had a very large commercial postcard industry. There were several important companies. We know less about the postcard-back snapshots at this time. As far as we can tell, postcard back prints were not very common in France.

Snapshots

We see French snapshots in the late-19th century, but the process was both complicated and expensive. As in other countries, the introduction of the Kodak Browine provided an inexpensive, simple system. We have not fiund, however, many early French snapshots. We are not entirely sure why. It could be that our acquisitioin system has not been very effective in France.

Lumière Autochrome

The Autochrome process was invented by the Auguste and Louis Lumière in 1904 and was the world’s first practical color process. This example here of a group of three French children probably dates from the late 1930s. They replaced the screen used by Joly with color dots. These were made from colored potato starch particles which had a diameter of only 15/1000 of a millimeter. The screen processes, good as they were, also had their faults. They were relatively insensitive. This meant that it could only be used in bright sunshine. When all went well with the exposure and processing and the results were then stored properly, the process bequeathed us some surprisingly vivid and fresh-looking images.

Snapshots

Amateur photography ws possible in the late-19th cbtury, but taking photographs was complicated. This significantly reduced the number of people interested in buting cameras and taking family snapshots. The Kodak Briwnie changed this (1900). Suddenly interested amateurs coukd easily take snapshots at at a very modest cost. The Brownie was a instant success not only in America, but other countries as well. Presumably French companies quickly came up with competitors. but we have little information on this. Hopefully our French readers will be able to provide us some historical information on the development of amateur photography in France. We do begin to see French snapshots at about the same time as in America, but not in the same quantities. The size, margin, edging, and other characteristics of the snapshots can help date the images.







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Created: 9:07 PM 4/25/2011
Last updated: 9:23 PM 4/18/2012