Since their debut in the mid-1850s, paper cartes de visite have been largely relegated by critics to a secondary status behind the earlier, commercially successful photographs on silver, glass, and iron plates. When viewed from today’s perspective, it is easy to appreciate the dominance of these hard plates, which have generally withstood time and the elements better than paper.
Nonetheless, some have celebrated the carte de visite format, also known as visiting cards or card photographs, along with the photographers who produced them. Among these enthusiasts was William Culp Darrah (1909-1989), who published his 1981 book, Cartes de Visite in Nineteenth Century Photography, as a companion to his 1977 volume on stereo cards. In the preface to Cartes, Darrah notes that this format was the most popular from 1860 to 1885—roughly the same lifespan as the daguerreotype, ambrotype, and tintype.
Building on Darrah’s work is a new book by Paul Frecker, a British antique photography dealer and fashion industry stylist. His Cartomania: Photography & Celebrity in the Nineteenth Century, is profusely illustrated with excellent examples of the form and superbly designed by Myfanwy Vernon-Hunt. The book is printed on premium quality paper and hardcover by a Polish press. Noteworthy is the semigloss stock on which the images are printed, making them almost jump off the page.
Frecker begins with an engaging origin story, recounting the development of photography in Europe and America from the late 18th century to the advent of cartes de visite and their early practitioners. The chapters that follow explore popular themes, from royalty, celebrity, and religion to society at large and Victorian mourning, concluding with the decline of the carte format.
Cartomania is essential reading for anyone interested in photography.
Cartomania: Photography & Celebrity in the Nineteenth Century
By Paul Frecker
488 pages
September Publishing
Hardcover (available through major booksellers)
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