No title (Child holding a tambourine), carte-de-visite
(1884-1897)
Medium
albumen silver photograph
Measurements
9.2 × 6.0 cm (image and sheet)
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Gift of John McPhee through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program, 2020
Gallery location
Gallery 6
Level 2, NGV Australia
About this work
The term cartes-de-visite derives from the French for ‘calling cards’ and refers to albumen silver photographs mounted on cards measuring around 10 x 6 cm. Designed to be held in the hand or housed in custom-made albums, these small portraits became a popular social currency in the nineteenth century. People collected cartes-de-visite of family and friends, significant buildings and scenic views, and portraits of royalty, famous figures and celebrities were fashionable as collectables. The 1860s marked the peak of production, and their popularity among colonial populations was so intense that the term ‘cartomania’ emerged to describe the craze for these images.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Newcastle, New South Wales
Inscription
printed in gold ink on support l.l.: A. SYMMONS late Boake / COMIES CAN ALWAYS / BE HAD HUNTER ST., NEWCASTLE.
Accession Number
2020.252
Department
Australian Photography