[Three-quarter-length portrait of an African American woman seated, facing front]

Archive record

1 photographic print on carte de visite mount : albumen ; 10 x 6 cm.

About this photograph

This carte de visite shows a woman photographed by L. D. Shaw in 1870. The portrait follows the conventions of formal studio work of the period: three-quarter length, seated, and facing the camera.

Studio portraiture held particular significance in African American communities at this time. Sitting for a formal photograph was a deliberate assertion of dignity and standing, undertaken when published images of Black Americans were dominated by caricature. The woman appears unnamed in the catalogue record, a pattern that reflects the record-keeping practices of the era rather than the sitter herself.

The carte de visite format, a small albumen print mounted on card stock, was the most popular form of portrait photography in the 1860s and 1870s. These inexpensive images were widely exchanged among family and friends, collected, and displayed in parlour albums.

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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