English
French
Shadows
Twins
Light and night effects
Portraits
Out of focus
Oddities
Silhouettes
Back views
Obstructions
Multiple exposures
Dreams
Up there
Mirrors & reflections
Abstractions
Panoramic Kodak views
Snapshot Mix
Stereoscopic autochromes
Abstract Polaroïds
Circular Kodak views
Autochromes

© Éditions Sur la Banquise, 2020 

© Éditions Sur la Banquise, 2020 

Unusual CDV's

A set of antique photo-cards in the "carte de visite" (CDV) format, i.e., approximately 4 by 2.5". First issued in Europe in the 1850s, this format, widely used for studio portraits, was common until the end of the 19th century, while being progressively replaced by the larger format of the cabinet card with its associated variants the boudoir and excelsior card. Names of studios are often artistically displayed on the back of the cards.

Unusual CDV's 

The selection featured here tends to focus on items that do not follow stereotypes of the genre: besides portraits with non conventional poses and unusual themes or montages, it includes outdoor views.  In the late 1870s, the introduction of more sensitive gelatin dry plates opened new possibilities. Some of the preferred themes of this period prefigure those typically found in vernacular or snapshot photography that became popular with the revolutionary Kodak products of the 1890s.