1880s
carte de visite photograph, albumin paper mounted on cardboard,
9.7 x 6.3 cm (10.7 x 6.5 cm),
printed inscription "Jan Mieczkowski w Warszawie" on the front of the cardboard, printed name "JMieczkowski" and hand written "Matejko" on the reverse
vintage

Carte de visite is a type of small-sized photograph, usually 6 x 9 cm, patented in 1854 in Paris by the photographer André Adolphe Eugène Disdéri. CdV is a photo, mounted on a card, which shows a single model, sometimes against a neutral background, and sometimes in front of a curtain, amongst various props. Photographers used a single sheet of film to take several portraits during one session, thanks to which the price of one photograph was low. This contributed to instant popularisation of photography worldwide. Cartes de visite were used also as visiting cards, and those with portraits of distinguished persons became collectors’ items.
This photograph is a portrait of Jan Matejko (1838-1893), a preeminent Polish painter known for his works depicting historical and military events.