Untitled (Pair of Portraits)

1879

Etienne Carjat

(French, 1828–1906)

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Culture

France

Medium

Photographs on enamel in copper alloy frame with velvet liner

Measurements

Each: 7.7 x 6.2 cm (3 1/16 x 2 7/16 in.)

Credit Line

John Cook Memorial Fund 2017.8

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Location

230 Photography

Did You Know?

This couple paid extra to have their portraits vitrified on enamel, a more permanent process than photographs on paper.

Description

The photographer would shoot a collodion negative on glass, then produce a positive version, possibly on glass. That would have been sent to a commercial firm which fused the images onto a glasslike coating on metal, a process fairly common in the late 1800s but now used primarily for grave headstones. The portraits were usually inset into a fancy box or tabletop frame for display in the couple’s home but could be made into portable mementos like the pocket-sized leather case.