Cartes de visite, approximately 1860s-1900s
Scope and Contents
Cartes de visite, or CdVs, are albumen prints typically mounted on cards that are 2.5"x4" in size. The images could be used as visiting or calling cards. The system was first patented in 1854 and was popular throughout much of the last half of the 19th century.
The CdVs in this collection mostly comprise portraits of individuals, groups, or families in a photography studio, as well as some outdoor scenes. Due to the quantity of material, subjects of the photographs are only briefly described. Some of the portaits may be identified with an inscription on the card, but not described in the finding aid, except for those from towns in Douglas County, Kansas, which are more fully described, including identification of the individual or group if known.
The date provided on this series is an approximation. Due to the quantity of material, an approximate date range for the whole series is provided, and not for each folder or item.
Dates
- Creation: approximately 1860s-1900s
Extent
3.75 Linear Feet (8 document cases)
Arrangement
The cartes de visite are arranged alphabetically by town and then alphabetically by photographers within each town. Kansas towns that start with the same letter are grouped together into sub-series. The town name is the file name, with information about photographers and subjects in the notes. Towns that have many photographers have their own sub-series, with the photographer as the file name and subjects of the photographs described in the notes. A few photographers have been given their own sub-series with the subject of the photograph as the file name. Photographers from other states are grouped by state at the end of the series, as are unidentified photographers.
In general, there are three cartes de visite housed in each folder.
Repository Details
Part of the University of Kansas. Kenneth Spencer Research Library Repository