Carte de Visite (CDV): Posing and Background


Figure 1.-- This CDV portrait was taken in 1864 by Friederich Gsund. We think this is a German portrait, but we are not sure. The seller is in Sebia. There is a name written on the back, but it is difficult to read--something like Ehsek. A German reader tells us, "This early CDV is a difficul one. I couldn't find info about the photographer or Ehsek. It looks German, but the boys and the name do not seem German." Note the background, it depicts an elaborate scene which you do not often see in American 1860s CDVs. The two boys are dressed identically. Note the large ruffeled collar. That was something you also did not see in America during the 60s..

Many of the CDVs we have archived are American. Very large numbers of these CDVs have a very common look. They show boys and girls standing up with very plain backgrounds, often the look of a room with little or no furniture. American CDVs are mostly from the 1860s or to a lesser extent the 70s. By the 1880s, cabinent cards had become more common. The 1860s American CDVs have a very destinctive look. It is interesting that so many CDVs have this look because in the 1850s (with Dags, Ambros, and Tintypes), the subject was commonly posed sitting down, often with a draped table. We note European CDVs were also often posed with atanding subject, but the empty room approach used in America is less common. We see interesting backgrounds and more furniture. The standing posture probably reflects the faster speeds of the emulsions. This may in part explain the greater use of backgrounds as well.

Pose

Many of the CDVs we have archived are American. Very large numbers of these CDVs have a very common look. They show boys and girls standing up, often very stiffly. The 1860s American CDVs have a very destinctive look. It is interesting that so many CDVs have this look because in the 1850s (with Dags, Ambros, and Tintypes), the subject was commonly posed sitting down.

Background

Backgrounds in the early CDVs in America tended to be very plain. Often they had the look of a room with a blank wall and little or no furniture. This look was very wide-spread in the 60s. Often a voluminous drape was employed. American CDVs are mostly from the 1860s or to a lesser extent the 70s. By the 1880s, cabinet cards had become more common. We note European CDVs were also often posed with atanding subject, but the empty room approach used in America is less common. We see interesting backgrounds and more furniture. The standing posture probably reflects the faster speeds of the emulsions. This may in part explain the greater use of backgrounds as well. We know less about European CDVs. The background here is more elaborate than most American 1860s CDVs. Even so, notice thst it is mostly blsnk. By the 1870s we see much more elaborate backgrounds, but CDVs were rapidly declining in popularity in America, especially after the mid-70s. They contiunued to be very cimmin in Europe into thec early-20th century.

Furniture

Early American photographs during the 1840s and 50s had a very destinctive look. Most subjects were poised sitting down next to a draped draped table. I'm not sure why the table was so commonly draped, perhaps to add visual interest. The 1860s CDVs look very different. Siting poses and the draped table did not entirely disappear, but much more common was to have the subjects standing with very little furniture. We do often see heavy drapes.

Perspective

Early ohotographs were close upos with the subject comprising much of the image. The American 1860s look rather like the photographer backed up. Often the subject only comprises part of the image. We are not entirely sure why thus was. We think it was at least in part because of CDV albums. The album pages often covered up part of the image, showing the central part of the CDV portrait.






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Created: 10:22 PM 3/13/2009
Last updated: 1:15 AM 3/14/2009