Carte De Visite - Card Design

In Victorian times, photographers commonly advertised their businesses on the front or back of mounting cards, or both. Some also allowed other businesses to advertise on the reverse. While certain photographers created attractive, distinctive mounts, others used standard designs from large card manufacturers such as Marion & Co, Spicer Bros and Abraham.

Cards from the 1860s were generally plain, but designs became more elaborate over time. Some used coloured card, and some mounts were edged with real English gold. Card design can help date old photographs: the material’s thickness, printing style, overall design and even the shape of the corners can indicate when a card was produced.

The portrait itself also provides valuable dating clues, including hairstyles, clothing fashions and trends in portraiture. Other useful indicators include the photographic process, image quality and the use of backgrounds and props. These features have been studied extensively and covered in specialist books, so they are not examined in detail here.

Some examples of the more elaborate and artistic card designs from the local photographers are shown here.

Large card manufacturers produced standard designs that studios could personalise with their name and address. The examples below were made by Marion & Co and marked “Marion Imp Paris”. Dating the design can indicate when a photograph was taken or, at least, mounted. Conversely, knowing when a studio operated at a particular address can help date the design. The Royal Photographic Society has compiled lists of photographers for many towns and cities, including Leeds and Bradford. These records show when photographers worked at specific addresses, when they moved, and who subsequently occupied their studios. Local directories provide further evidence. Although these sources are valuable starting points, precise opening and closing dates often require research into advertisements in the local press. The cards themselves may also reveal new details, such as additional studio addresses or the date a business was established.

The first card shown below gives no address for Joseph Bottomley’s studio, which is unusual because he normally included one and moved premises frequently. He may have ordered the card while relocating or bought enough stock that printing an address risked making it obsolete. The second card, by J. Houghton, can be dated approximately because Houghton worked from a New Wortley address between 1886 and 1899. Its design is known as the seated artist. The three William Smith cards suggest that he was a regular Marion & Co customer. All bear the 14 New Briggate address, while the card with the large letter P also lists 57 Park Lane. Smith operated in Park Lane from 1870 to 1881 and at New Briggate from 1881 to 1887. The card showing both addresses was therefore most likely produced in 1881; the other two are later, but almost certainly date from the 1880s. Studios may have offered sitters a choice of cards, just as they certainly offered different finishes. Surviving examples show the same photograph on different card stocks or printed by different processes, although later reprints may account for some variations. For more information on dating Marion & Co designs, see Roger Vaughan’s website.

Some photographers included illustrations of their studio premises. The examples shown here depict Appleton Studio on Horton Lane, Bradford; Joseph Bottomley’s studio at Sunbridge, Bradford; Clapham’s studio on Wade Lane, Leeds; and Harrison and Sons’ premises on Woodhouse Lane. The illustrations show that the Appleton and Bottomley studios had glass roofs to maximise daylight. Studio design is a subject in its own right, but many photographers preferred north-facing studios because direct sunlight did not disrupt their work and extensive blinds were unnecessary. Henry Peach Robinson, a highly respected Victorian photographer, wrote an informative book on studio design that is available online. Because each printing block could produce only a limited number of cards, blocks had to be replaced regularly. Several slightly different versions of the Appleton image survive, indicating that many cards were printed from successive blocks.

National and international photographic exhibitions were held regularly, giving photographers opportunities to showcase their work and observe that of their peers. Medals were awarded for the best photographs, and details sometimes appeared on mounting cards. Such awards helped photographers promote their businesses and impress prospective customers.

The medals shown on the Fordsmith card include the James Watt Silver Medal, awarded by the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society. Award dates can help estimate when a photograph and its mount were produced. One of the most prolific prize-winners was Leeds-born photographer Frank Meadow Sutcliffe, best known for his work in Whitby. He received so many awards that, rather than displaying the medals, he simply listed their dates and venues.

Card designs advertised a photographer’s business, with wording and imagery conveying information to prospective customers. Heslop Woods, Winterhalter and C. H. Braithwaite incorporated the Leeds coat of arms, perhaps to suggest establishment connections, although whether they had such links—or permission to use it—is unclear. More questionable were claims of royal patronage. Wormald advertised himself as a photographer to the Queen or royalty. He had photographed Leeds Town Hall, and a series of those images was presented to Queen Victoria when she visited Leeds to open the building in 1858, but he may never have taken a royal portrait. Oliver Sarony also claimed to be photographer to the Queen; the Freeman’s Journal of 12 February 1859 supports this, stating that he “has earned the distinction of being appointed photographer to Her Majesty the Queen”. Sarony’s card shown below dates from 1864 or 1865, and its square corners are characteristic of cards produced in the 1860s.