RHS Carte de Visite Collection explores Victorian curiosity
The RHS Lindley Library holds a unique collection of over 800 cartes de visite. These small, card-mounted black and white photographs were extremely popular during the 19th century and were collected and traded among friends
A window into 19th century growing
The photos in the RHS carte de visite collection mostly depict 19th century nurserymen, flower growers, professional gardeners, botanists, and entomologists, many of whom are depicted nowhere else in the historical record. The collection features some familiar (and less horticultural) faces, too, including Charles Darwin, Charles Dickens and William Makepeace Thackeray.
Detailed images of the full collection can be viewed on RHS Digital Collections.
Portraits for the masses
Invented in 1854 by French photographer Alphonse Disdéri, cartes de visite were much cheaper to take and reprint than anything that had come before. Suddenly, more people were able to afford to have family portraits made, as well as to collect albums full of images of public figures – though it took five years and a ‘celebrity endorsement’ for them to gain popularity.
‘Cartomania’: a very Victorian craze
Cartes de visite became an overnight success in 1859, after Napoleon III issued a set, followed in quick succession by The British Royal Family in 1860, cementing their fame. The Victorian obsession with cartes de visite came to be known as ‘cartomania’. The photographs far outgrew their original intended purpose as calling cards, instead becoming hugely popular collectors’ items.
Unidentified cartes de visite in the RHS Lindley collection
Can you help us solve a mystery? Put a name to a face
Some of the portraits featured in our cartes de visite collection are unnamed. We have identified some through research, but others remain a mystery. If you think you know who one of our unidentified cartes de visite is of, please email [email protected] with details.
