Carte de Visite Collection

The cartes de visite and cabinet cards collection is an assembled collection, originating from various 19th century photographic studios such as those of Matthew Brady and the London Stereoscopic and Photographic Company. Dr. Lloyd Ostendorf, the internationally known "Lincoln Artist," of Dayton, Ohio, known around the world as the foremost authority on Lincoln images, generously identified the majority of the subjects in the photographs, through his assistance to the museum staff. His 1998 publication, "Lincoln's Photographs: A Complete Album", is the most complete and authoritative photographic source and reference available, based upon a lifetime of collecting, studying and assembling the photographs of Abraham Lincoln. The cartes de visite and cabinet size cards chiefly portray well-known and famous people such as Abraham Lincoln, Mary Todd Lincoln, 19th century American and European statesmen, military officers of the Civil War, and also portraits of the not-sofamous. The carte de visites generally measure 4 1/4" x 2 1/2"; the larger cabinet size cards measure approximately 5 x 7 inches. In addition, the collections of stereographs reproduced many of the same images, scenes illustrating historical people, places, and events. The stereographs, measuring approximately 4 1/2" x 7", used prints by various processes, some of which were hand tinted. Stereo graphs were formed of two images placed side by side, and when properly viewed through a stereoscope, give a sense of3-D viewing. From a cultural perspective, the personal photograph collections in the Civil War era were part of a family's parlor: the collections of cased photographs and albums containing tintypes, cartes de visite and cabinet cards, along with stereographs to view in the hand stereoscope, depicted family members, Civil War views, military leaders, famous statesmen, and leading artists of the 19th century social and cultural scene. Several of the photographs have autograph signatures on them, including those for the portraits of: Philip H. Sheridan; Robert Anderson; W. Butler Beck; F. B. Carpenter (signed to W. H. Herndon); George B. Crittenden, and other notables. Some of the carte de visites are portraits of 19th engravings and lithographs--most are photographs that have been projected onto the extremely thin paper, mounted onto a heavy paper backing.

The provenance is unknown, except where the origin is definitely known or the donor can be identified, such as when it is noted on the verso of a carte de visite or photograph. These include photographs and carte de visites donated by Frederick Hill Meserve, during his association with Lincoln Memorial University's Department of Lincolniana, then headed by R. Gerald McMurtry. Dr. Meserve was America's first great photograph collector, and he was the discoverer and owner of about 10,000 glass-plate negatives of portraits from Lincoln's era. His collection grew as he added thousands of photographs to the collection. Two carte de visites of Mrs. Joshua Fry Speed (nee Fanny Henning), were donated by Philip Speed Tuley.