Offered is a rare Abraham Lincoln “carte de visite” featuring a Matthew Brady photograph of the 16th president seated at a table in profile.  The 2¼ x 4-inch black and white photo card features a clear picture of Lincoln on one side, with a patterned carpet and the edge of a fireplace mantle at his back, as he looks to his right in the photo seated with his left arm leaning on the tabletop. The reverse of the card is printed in black type “Published by E&H.T. Anthony 501 Broadway New York from Photographic Negative in Brady’s National Portrait Gallery”. As noted by the American Museum of Photography, cartes de visite (CDVs, as they are commonly abbreviated by collectors) were albumen prints mounted on cards usually measuring 2-1/2″ x 4″. Patented in 1854 by Parisian photographer Andre Adolphe Disderi, CDVs did not become popular in the United States until the end of the decade. Their small size and sturdiness meant that a sitter could buy multiple copies of his or her photograph for a reasonable price–10 to 25 cents apiece– then easily mail them to distant friends and relatives. The American Civil War added to their popularity, as men had their pictures taken before going off to war and in turn carried the portraits of loved ones with them.

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