[Boy, bust portrait]

Archive record

1 photographic print on cartes de visite mount : tintype, hand-colored. | Photograph showing a portrait of an unidentified boy.

About this photograph

This carte de visite shows an unidentified boy in a hand-colored tintype portrait from 1860.

The carte de visite format, which mounted small photographs on card stock, became wildly popular in the 1860s for both personal keepsakes and commercial distribution. Studio portraiture held particular significance in Black communities during this period, serving as a deliberate assertion of dignity at a time when published images of African Americans were dominated by caricature.

The record's lack of identification reflects typical archival practice of the era, which frequently left Black sitters unnamed while recording the names of white subjects. The hand coloring was a common embellishment for cartes de visite, adding tints to cheeks, clothing, or backgrounds to enhance the photographic image.

Compiled from the catalogue record and reference notes on the formats and events involved. The archive record above is the primary source.

About the format

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