Cartomania
'This eye-opening and frequently jaw-dropping history of the phenomenon… opens up a set of fascinating peepholes on to a now vanished world' Spectator
Cartomania was a photographic phenomenon that seized the public imagination at the beginning of the 1860s. Small portraits, dubbed cartes de visite, were avidly exchanged with friends and family, quickly earning a reputation as 'the paper currency of social intercourse'. Compiled into albums and prominently displayed in the home to peruse, assess and discuss, this first explosion of commercial portraiture proved a wildly popular craze, particularly once celebrities embraced the new format.
Paul Frecker's lavishly illustrated book brings fresh insight into the careers of the enterprising men and women who established studios and into the lives of those who passed before their cameras. With unparalleled depth of research and evocative prose, he vividly brings to life the photographers and many of their subjects. From reigning queens and visiting sultans to grieving mothers and nefarious criminals, all life lies within. Whether dressed in their best or in fancy dress, cartomania's devotees and their often extraordinary stories are laid bare in this fascinating view of mid-Victorian society.
Book details
- Format
- Hardback
- ISBN
- 9781914613623
- Published
- 13 June 2024
- Pages
- 480
- Duration
- Dimensions
- 196 x 254 mm
- Genre
- Art and Architecture
- Imprint
- September
Reviews
'Invaluable and lively... Paul Frecker turns his scholarly mind and stylish eye on the great photographers who bequeathed us documents of an age of fundamental and often cataclysmic change, upending many of our preconceptions about life in the era of Dickens and Balzac'
'No book on the carte de visite would be complete without a well-curated selection of these photographs, and Frecker has certainly chosen some brilliant examples'
'This eye-opening and frequently jaw-dropping history of the phenomenon… opens up a set of fascinating peepholes on to a now vanished world'
'[T]he books implicit argument for the diverse oddness of 19th-century life, something many Victorians were happily aware of, and which prompted so much photography in the first place'
'His impressive, original research is communicated with appropriate style and panache. A major achievement'
'Uniquely in my experience Frecker recreates for us the resonant things of the Victorian period, so far from us and yet, if we look as he does, still, feelingly, with us'
'This book is lavishly illustrated with incredible examples of the genre, from royalty and celebrity through to the subversive courtesans of the day... It's a fascinating and exhaustive study, Frecker is an expert in the field and combines the factual and historical with much wry humour and clearly relishes relaying his knowledge as well as the most sensational stories of the day' Wylde
'The definitive text on the carte-de-visite… a remarkable book, eminently readable, and long overdue'
'Cartomania takes a surprisingly deep dive into the history and phenomenon of Victorian cartes de visite... even the most jaded of photo historians will find something new to discover... a multilayered exploration of the cartomania phenomenon, moving far beyond humdrum studio portraiture... The carefully curated illustrations are a delight'
