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Sponsored by Dinsmore Private Client and Family Wealth Planning.
Before Instagram and Snapchat, the Carte de Visite (CDVs or cartes) the hottest trend in image sharing social media. These pocket-sized photographs were considered just as high-tech in the 19th century as Instagram and Snapchat are today. Invented by a French photographer in the 1850s, the CDV was a visual spinoff of the calling card, which was used to announce one’s arrival during the height of the Victorian era. The carte de visite was also cheaper than images made from earlier processes, such as the Daguerreotype and the Ambrotype. It revolutionized the mass production of photographs, allowing everyone—from lay people to politicians, kings, and queens—to not only have photographs of themselves taken, but also easily share and mail those photographs for the first time. While the CDV only trended for about a decade, the format eventually evolved as styles changed. Other mounted photographs such as the Cabinet Card, the Victoria, the Promenade, and the Boudoir superseded the once popular CDV. Join the Filson’s curator of photographs as she explores the history, technology, and trends of the Carte de Visite, Cabinet Card, and other mounted photographs from the Filson Photograph Collections.
Heather Potter is the Curator of Photographs and Prints at The Filson Historical Society. Prior she was a Project Archivist at the Kentucky Historical Society. Potter received her BA in History from Washburn University, Topeka, Kansas, and Master of Library Science from Indiana University – Bloomington. Her main role as Curator of Photos is to catalog and provide access to the Filson’s visual materials collection. In addition, she is an advocate for the preservation of family photograph collections.
Date & Time
Fri, Aug 6, 2021 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM