Cartes de visite are a small type of photograph patented in Paris, France in the 1850s, made when a photograph printed on thin paper is mounted onto a thicker piece of paper. Cartes de visite were printed in a standard size, 2 1/8" by 3 1/2", and mounted on a standard-sized piece of paper, 2 1/2" by 4". Usually featuring individuals rather than landscapes or other subjects, cartes de visite were inexpensive in comparison with other photographic prints available at the time, and were enormously popular throughout the 1860s. They were sometimes displayed in sitting rooms, or traded between friends and acquaintances as a popular Victorian hobby. The collection consists of 11 cartes de visite.