Cartes de visit and cabinet cards

Cartes de visite
Cartes de visite (photographic visiting cards) were a phenomenon in Australia in the late 19th century. Many of them survive into modern times, thus giving us a glimpse back in time, showing us the faces and fashions of Australians of olden days.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, printed visiting cards (also known as “calling cards”) were widely used, especially by the well-to-do, when calling upon someone at their home or workplace. Visiting cards featured the name of the caller (later cards included the caller’s address), and could be left at someone’s home to show that the card’s owners had visited (notes could also be written on the cards). They were similar to modern business cards, except that they were commonly used for social purposes. They became quite fashionable, with some later cards featuring fancy designs and illustrations; as a social item, they even became the object of collectors. However, the idea of visiting cards was taken one step further with the creation of cartes de visite.[1]

The carte de visite (French for “visiting card”; plural: cartes de visite) was originally patented in 1854 by André Adolphe-Eugène Disdéri (1819-1889), a French photographer, who struck upon the idea of mounting photographs of people on cards (cardboard mounts), making them similar in size to visiting cards. He developed a technique of producing multiple images in the same sitting, using a specially-built camera with four lenses and a moving negative plate holder, which could capture eight images on the same plate. His new process lowered costs, making this kind of photography more financially accessible to a wider range of people (especially the middle class). Disdéri also coined the term “carte de visite”. The small photographic cards became very popular, even being described as “a cultural sensation”, and the idea spread from France to the rest of the Western world, arriving in Australia in 1859.[2]

The usage of cartes de visite became quite fashionable; although they were not normally used as visiting cards, due to their expense (especially compared to calling cards printed in a standard fashion). However, like visiting cards, they were traded amongst friends and acquaintances, with collections of these photos being kept by the socially-inclined. Albums were kept of these cards, so that families would have a photographic remembrance of family members and friends. Indeed, albums were manufactured which were specifically designed to hold cards of that size. Susan Long, in The La Trobe Journal (September 2021), says that “The carte album held social currency: who and what were collected were often perceived to reflect the owner’s social status. The album was akin to a 19th-century social inventory.” Cartes de visite featuring famous people were also produced, and were collected by many people. Although the carte de visite fad peaked in the 1860s, they were still popular in the 1870s and 1880s, and even continued to be produced up until the early 20th century (as an indication of their ongoing usage, carte de visite albums were still being manufactured in the 1890s). Their popularity was displaced by the widespread production of cabinet cards.[3]

The size of the average carte de visite (sometimes abbreviated as CdV or CDV) was approximately 6.3 cm. by 10.5 cm. (4.1 inches by 2.5 inches). The size of the photographs used on the cards varied, but they normally took up the majority of the space available. It is worthwhile noting that some photographers cut their own mounts, which added to the minor variations in the sizes of the cards.[4]

Cartes de visite generally have certain distinguishing features which can help to date the cards. Thinner cards were produced in earlier times, whilst thicker cards came later; cards with square corners are likely to have been produced in the 1860s, whilst those with rounded corners date from the 1870s onwards. Borders, image sizes, and backgrounds can also help to date cards. Borders became thicker in later years, earlier photographs were smaller (later on, the photographs filled up more of the card), whilst decorative backdrops became more elaborate as time went on. Clothing and hairstyles can also be useful indicators of when photographs were taken.[5]

To give an idea of the usage of cartes de visite in Australia over the years, a search was conducted of the historical newspapers on the National Library of Australia’s Trove site for how often CDVs were mentioned in advertisements, as an indicator of their popularity. A search for the phrase “carte de visite” in the “Advertising” category returned the following results:
1860-1869 (12k)
1870-1879 (10k)
1880-1889 (11k)
1890-1899 (1k)
1900-1909 (267)
1910-1919 (46)
Aside from some adverts in 1910 (“8 gem carte de visite miniatures” for 2 shillings), most of the advertisements in the 1910-1919 listings were for carte de visite sized frames, and other non-photo items. That is to say, by 1911 any effective public demand for cartes de visite was finally over. Looking at the years 1880-1887, in the Trove search results, showed listings for 1-2k, whereas the numbers dipped significantly after 1887, with the following three years, 1888, 1889, and 1890, showing results of 480, 431, and 309 respectively (results for 1891-1899 were all under 300, with 1899 at 74). Therefore, 1887 was the last year which showed significant results (in the thousands). The carte de visite format had a great run, with millions of them being produced; however, their high level of popularity began to dwindle after 1887.[6]

Cabinet cards
Cabinet cards were a later development, and were arguably a logical extension of the cartes de visite. They were roughly about two and a half times larger than cartes de visite, and were suitable for mounting on a cabinet or a side table, or could be placed in any other prominent space in one’s home (most likely propped up on a wooden stand, or placed in a photograph frame). The size of the average cabinet card was approximately 10.9 cm. by 16.5 cm. (4.3 inches by 6.5 inches). As with the cartes de visite, the size of the photographs glued onto the cards varied, but they normally took up the majority of the space available. The larger area of the medium enabled (and encouraged) a higher quality photograph to be used. Cabinet cards began to be used for portraits around 1866, and were fashionable from the 1860s to the 1890s; although, they still had a significant advertising presence right up until 1909, along with a slight peak in 1914-1916 (during the First World War, 1914-1918). Their popularity was eclipsed with the advent of snapshots and the rise of the photographic postcard.[7]

Cabinet cards were, in effect, larger sized versions of cartes de visite. However, their cardboard mounts were normally significantly thicker than the small photographic visiting cards. As with cartes de visite, their mounts were commonly a cream colour, although darker colours were used for various cabinet card mounts in the 1880s and 1890s (using colours such as black, dark brown, burgundy, and green).[8]

To give an idea of the usage of cabinet cards in Australia, a search was conducted of the historical newspapers on the National Library of Australia’s Trove site for how often they were mentioned in advertisements, as an indicator of their popularity. A search for “cabinet cards” produced very few results; further investigation revealed that most photographic advertisements referred to them as “cabinet portraits” or simply “cabinets”. A search for the phrase “cabinet portraits”, in the “Advertising” category returned the following results:
1860-1869 (2k)
1870-1879 (1k)
1880-1889 (2k)
1890-1899 (6k)
1900-1909 (3k)
1910-1919 (1k)
1920-1929 (269)
1930-1939 (37)
It can be seen that, judging by the number of advertisements for their sale, the popularity of cabinet cards, or cabinet portraits, in Australia was nowhere near that of the cartes de visite. Considering that they were much more expensive, even with the compensation that they were bigger and of better quality, their comparatively lower level of popularity due to their cost should be no surprise.[9]

Prices
Photographic studios widely advertised their provision of cartes de visit and cabinet cards. A look at some of their advertised prices can provide us with an idea of their financial accessibility for the general public.[10]

28 July 1864: Stephen M. Stout, Henry Street, Fremantle (WA)
Carte de visite portraits: Three, 7s. 6d.; six, 12s. 6d.; ten, 20s.

15 May 1869: Montagu Scott, 392 George Street, Sydney (NSW)
Cartes-de-Visite, 12s per dozen, formerly 20s
Cabinet Cards, 25s per dozen, formerly 30s

12 January 1871: Carte de Visite Portraits. — Single copy 2s. 6d. 4 copies 5s. 6 copies 7s. 6d.
Cabinet Portraits. — The new popular form of Photographic portraiture 4 times larger than the Carte de Visite. — Single copy 5s. 4 copies 10s. 12 copies 20s.

9 August 1875: Bent’s Portrait Rooms, Pall Mall, Bendigo (Vic.)
To keep with the times, until further notice, Card Portraits will be taken at the following reduced rates, viz.:— Three cards, 3s 6d, formerly 5s; 6 cards 5s, formerly 10s; 12 cards, 7s 6d, formerly 15s.

29 November 1879: F. Cornell’s Photographic Studio, Foster Street, Sale (Vic.)
Cartes de Visite:— First copy, 2s 6d, subsequent copies 1s each, or 8s 6d per dozen.
Cabinet Portraits, 1st copy 7s, 6d; additional copies 2s each.

12 August 1880: J. Deazeley, Queen-Street, Brisbane (Qld.)
Gems, 36 .. .. .. 2s. 6d
Double, 18 .. .. .. 2s. 6d.
Treble, 9 .. .. .. 2s. 6d.
Carte de Visite, 4 .. .. 2s. 6d.
Bon Ton, each .. .. 1s. 6d.
Cabinet, each .. .. 2s. 6d.

14 January 1881: R. Yeoman, 139 Clarendon Street, Emerald Hill [South Melbourne], (Vic.)
Cartes de visite.
12 Copies … 7s. 6d
6 ,, … 5s. 6d
3 ,, … 4s. 0d
For Cabinets.
12 Copies … 20s.
6 ,, … 15s.
3 „ … 10s.

4 April 1884: A. Winter, 91a Liverpool Street, Hobart (Tas.)
Card portraits, 7s. 6d. per dozen.
Cabinet portraits, 21s. per dozen.

25 January 1886: Bent’s Portrait Rooms, Pall Mall, [Bendigo] (Vic.)
First-class Cabinets 15s; Cards 8s 6d per doz.

6 February 1886: F. De Kock and Co., Mitchell Street, Sandhurst [Bendigo] (Vic.)
beg respectfully to announce that … are now prepared during the Holiday Season to adopt the following prices:—
Cabinets (any style) … 15s per dozen
Carte de visite (do) … 8s 6d per doz

18 February 1887: F. De Kock and Co., Mitchell Street, [Bendigo] (Vic.)
Cartes, per dozen … … … 7s
Cabinets, per dozen … … … 12s

17 January 1890: Duryea’s Portrait Studio, Ryan Street, Moonta (SA)
Cabinet Photos, highly finished, 17/6 doz
Carte de Visite, highly finished, 10/6 doz

9 April 1895: R. Olliver’s Photographic Gallery, Grey Street, Glen Innes (NSW)
Carte-de-visites, 5s half-dozen; Cabinets, 3 for 5s

13 January 1906, Argus Studio, Collie (WA)
Cabinet, 18/- per dozen; 10/- per half-dozen.
Cart-de-visit, 12/- per dozen; 7/- per half-dozen.

14 February 1910: McNeill’s Photo. Studios, Rundle Street, Adelaide (SA)
8 gem carte de visite miniatures, 2/
Cabinet photos, 7/6

To give some context for the prices, it is worthwhile to looking at the average weekly wage of various occupations in different years. (See: Wages in Australia.)

Concluding remarks
The age of the carte de visite was a golden age for Australian portrait photography. Distinct from the expensive photography of earlier years, CDVs were within the financial reach of most people. The carte de visite fad left us with a lasting legacy of untold numbers of portraits of colonial and Federation-era Australians. Thousands of these photographs still survive to this day, not only giving us an insight into the fashions and cultural experiences of early Australians, but also providing us with tangible links to our past.

Useful information for dating old photographs
Ann Copeland, “Who’s that girl? Dating a 19th century photograph”, State Library of Victoria, 28 July 2021
“Carte de Visite”, Photo Tree
“Introduction to the carte de visite”, The National Science and Media Museum (Bradford, UK), 21 January 2011 [characteristic studio accessories of CDVs and cabinet cards]
Colin Harding, “How to spot a carte de visite (late 1850s–c.1910)”, The National Science and Media Museum (Bradford, UK), 27 June 2013

References:
[1] Michelle Hoppe “Calling cards and the etiquette of paying calls”, Literary Liaisons
Vic, “The etiquette of using calling cards”, Jane Austen’s World, 21 May 2007
Evangeline Holland “The etiquette of social calls & calling cards”, 1 February 2008
“Calling cards”, Story and History: A Guide to Everything Jane Austen, 18 March 2009
Brett & Kate McKay, “The gentleman’s guide to the calling card”, The Art of Manliness, 7 September 2008 (updated: 2 September 2021)
“Gentlemens’ Accouterments”, Georgian Index [includes a photo of a calling card case]
See also:
“Visiting card”, Wikipedia

[2] “Carte de Visite”, City Gallery
“Photographic print type: Carte de Visite (CDV)”, Historical Boys’ Clothing
“carte-de-visite: photography”, Encyclopaedia Britannica
Leslie J. Moran, “A previously unexplored encounter: the English judiciary, carte de visite and photography as a form of mass media”, Cambridge University Press, 23 November 2018 [a cultural sensation]
Susan Long, “Self-representation in the nineteenth century” (The La Trobe Journal, September 2021, pp. 48-59), State Library of Victoria, p. 50 (PDF file) [CDV technical process; CDVs in Australia in 1859]
Stephen Burstow, “The Carte de Visite and Domestic Digital Photography” (Photographies, September 2016), Research Gate, p. 10 (PDF file) [CDV technical process]
“Brady-Handy Collection”, Library of Congress (USA) [CDV technical process]
“March 18: Grace”, On This Date in Photography, 19 March 2017 [CDV technical process; four lenses, eight images on the same plate]
Ann Copeland, “Who’s that girl? Dating a 19th century photograph”, State Library of Victoria, 28 July 2021 [CDVs in Australia in 1859]
“carte de visite”, Merriam-Webster [plural: cartes de visite]
“carte-de-visite”, Dictionary of Archives Terminology [plural: cartes-de-visite]
See also:
“Carte de visite”, Wikipedia
“André-Adolphe-Eugène Disdéri”, Wikipedia

[3] “My carte-de-visite: A photographic sketch by a man with nerves”, Melbourne Punch (Melbourne, Vic.), 9 March 1865, p. 81 [“they are not visiting cards. I never knew any body who so used them”; expense]
“Carte de Visite”, City Gallery
Colin Harding, “How to spot a carte de visite (late 1850s–c.1910)”, The National Science and Media Museum (Bradford, UK), 27 June 2013
“Carte de Visite”, Photo Tree
“Carte de visite”, Luminous-Lint [albums]
James S. Brust “Filler Cartes de Visite: A fresh look at art, humor and satire”, Military Images Digital, 1 September 2019 [albums]
Susan Long, op. cit., p. 56 [quotation; CDVs peak was 1860 to late 1870s; albums in the 1890s]
See also:
“Cartes de Visite”, Flickr
James Mcardle, “23 October: Evolution”, On This Date in Photography, 23 October 2021 [includes a photo of the back of a proof for a carte de visite, from Stewart and Co. (of Bourke Street, Melbourne), which gives instructions for clients]
Charles Dickens, “The carte de visite”, 26 April 1862, in: Charles Dickens, All the Year Round: A Weekly Journal (vol. VII, 15 March to 6 September 1862), London: C. Whiting, 1862, pp. 165-168 [this article was also published in The Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney, NSW), 27 October 1862, p. 8; also available at: Dickens Journals Online]

[4] Colin Harding, “How to spot a carte de visite (late 1850s–c.1910)”, The National Science and Media Museum (Bradford, UK), 27 June 2013
“Cartes de Visite”, Luminous-Lint [includes a photo of a carte de visite template]
Notes:
a) The abbreviation of “carte de visite” is commonly rendered as “CdV” or “CDV”.
b) Measurements taken of cartes de visite in the IAC collection give the following results:
width 6.3 cm. = 2.4803149606 inches (2 and 31/64 inches)
height 10.5 cm. = 4.1338582677 inches (4 and 9/64 inches)
There were some minor variations in the sizes of CdVs, so measurements were taken of those cards which were in the majority (in terms of being of similar size). Measurements were taken in centimetres, and were converted to inches using UnitConverters.net.

[5] “Carte de Visite”, Photo Tree
“Introduction to the carte de visite”, The National Science and Media Museum (Bradford, UK), 21 January 2011 [characteristic studio accessories of CDVs and cabinet cards]
Colin Harding, “How to spot a carte de visite (late 1850s–c.1910)”, The National Science and Media Museum (Bradford, UK), 27 June 2013

[6] See: Trove search for “carte de visite” in the Advertising category, Trove (National Library of Australia) [results can be sorted by decade, as above, using the “Date range” function; “k” refers to “thousand”]

[7] “Cabinet card”, City Gallery [1866; 1924; snapshot]
Colin Harding, “How to spot a cabinet card (1866–c.1914)”, The National Science and Media Museum (Bradford, UK), 5 September 2013 [says cabinet cards appeared in the 1860s; photographic postcard]
Samuel Thomas, “What is a Carte de visite? (1850 – 1910)”, 13 July 2020 [says cabinet cards appeared in the early 1870s]
See also:
“Cabinet card”, Wikipedia
Notes:
Measurements taken of cabinet cards in the IAC collection give the following results:
width 10.9 cm = 4.2913385827 inches (4 and 19/64 inches)
height 16.5 cm = 6.4960629921 inches (6 and 1/2 inches)
In contrast to the CDVs, all of the cabinet cards in the IAC collection are very close to each other in size. Measurements were taken in centimetres, and were converted to inches using UnitConverters.net.

[8] “Cabinet card”, City Gallery
Colin Harding, “How to spot a cabinet card (1866–c.1914)”, The National Science and Media Museum (Bradford, UK), 5 September 2013

[9] See: Trove search for “cabinet portraits” in the Advertising category, Trove (National Library of Australia) [results can be sorted by decade, as above, using the “Date range” function]
Trove search for ““cabinet cards”~0” in the Advertising category, Trove (National Library of Australia) [results can be sorted by decade, as above, using the “Date range” function]
Note: In contradistinction to cartes de visite, it is far more problematic to gauge the popularity of “cabinet cards” by using the same methodology as was used for CDVs. Even when using a refined search, the Trove search engine picks up a significant number of extraneous results, where the words “cabinet” and “card” are located adjacent to each other (for example, the Trove search results include advertisements which mention “blotting cases, cabinets, card boxes”, etc.), so therefore the results are not as accurate as may be desired. However, as the term “cabinet portraits” appears to have been the term generally used in photographic advertisements, a search for “cabinet cards” is somewhat superfluous, and the term “cabinet portraits” was used to gauge that format’s popularity (through advertising) instead.

[10] “Stephen M. Stout, photographic artist” (advertisement), West Australian Times (Perth, WA), 28 July 1864, p. 4, column 5
“Montagu Scott, artist” (advertisement), The Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney, NSW), 15 May 1869, p. 4, column 1
“Carte de Visite Portraits” (advertisement), The Express (Fremantle, WA), 12 January 1871, p. 2, column 2
“Great reduction in prices at Bent’s Portrait Rooms” (advertisement), The Bendigo Advertiser (Sandhurst, Vic.), 9 August 1875, p. 1, column 2
“The new tariff just announced at F. Cornell’s photo. studio, Foster-street, Sale” (advertisement), The Gippsland Mercury (Sale, Vic.), 29 November 1879, p. 2, column 4
“Photography: Mr. J. Deazeley” (advertisement), The Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld.), 12 August 1880, p. 1, column 3
“R. Yeoman, photographer” (advertisement), The Record and Emerald Hill & Sandridge Advertiser (Emerald Hill, Vic.), 14 January 1881, p. 2, column 1
“Visitors to Hobart” (advertisement), The Mercury (Hobart, Tas.), 4 April 1884, p. 4, column 1
“Bent’s Portrait Rooms” (advertisement), The Bendigo Advertiser (Sandhurst, Vic.), 25 January 1886, p. 1, column 7
“F. De Kock and Co., Mitchell-street” (advertisement), The Bendigo Advertiser (Sandhurst, Vic.), 6 February 1886, p. 1 of the Supplement, column 2
“Wanted known: Startling reductions!!” (advertisement), The Bendigo Advertiser (Sandhurst, Vic.), 18 February 1887, p. 1, column 7
“Duryea’s Portrait Studio” (advertisement), Yorkes Peninsula Advertiser (Moonta, SA), 17 January 1890, p. 4, column 2
“Photography! Last few Weeks” (advertisement), Glen Innes Examiner and General Advertiser (Glen Innes, NSW), 9 April 1895, p. 4, column 3
“Your friends want your photograph!” (advertisement), The Collie Miner (Collie, WA), 13 January 1906, p. 3, column 7
“McNeill’s Photo. Studios” (advertisement), The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA), 14 February 1910, p. 2, column 3