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Monsieur Merlen
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The carte-de-visite, a small photograph mounted on card stock, was patented by André Adolphe-Eugène Disdéri in 1854. This efficient, inexpensive process employed a camera with four lenses and a sliding plate holder that produced eight sequential exposures on a single glass negative. The resulting paper print was cut into individual images. This uncut sheet, which includes several humorous views, was probably produced for the sitter’s approval. The low cost of the carte-de-visite led to the trend of collecting celebrity portraits. By 1862, Disdéri’s studio was producing over 2,000 prints a day, making him reputedly the world’s richest photographer.
| Artist / Maker | André Adolphe-Eugène Disdéri |
|---|---|
| Date | 1861 |
| Culture / Origin | France, 19th century |
| Medium | albumen print from wet collodion negative, uncut carte-de-visite proof print |
| Dimensions | Image: 19.9 x 23.1 cm (7 13/16 x 9 1/8 in.); Matted: 35.6 x 45.7 cm (14 x 18 in.) |
| Department | Photography |
| Type | Photograph |
About the Artist
André-Adolphe-Eugène Disdéri French, 1819-1889 Disdéri is best known as a portraitist and popularizer of the carte-de-visite. He spent 10 years as a painter and working in the theater, and another five in the clothing business, before becoming seriously interested in photography around age 30. He first operated studios in Brest and Nîmes, then moved to Paris and opened a studio in 1854, and a second in 1863. In 1854 Disdéri patented the carte-de-visite, a method of producing a number of… Full biography →
Provenance & Source
Image & data: Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 / Public Domain.
Condition
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