Part a- Length: 29.5cm x Width: 23.0cm x Height: 1.3cm
Part b- Length: 28.4cm x Width: 21.0cm
Part c- Length: 23.0cm x Width: 5.5cm x Height: 29.5cm
This is a vintage photograph album made of ornate leather. a- This is the front cover of the album. It has decorative patterns on the surface and two metal clasps on the right edge. On the inside of the cover is a piece of paper that has been yellowed. b- This is a piece of paper with irregular edges and some yellowing. c- This is the main body of the photo album. The spine is deteriorated and mostly missing. There is only some remaining white fabric attached to the upper part of the spine. The back cover is brown, made of leather, and has decorative pattern along the edges. The album is made of thick card stock pages that are bounded together.
d-bv-There are eight photographs on each page (four photos per side), which occupies approximately one-third of the album. The black-and-white photographs are mostly singular or family portraits of people from the late Victorian and early Edwardian era. There is information about the photographers and the address of their studios on the back of many photos. Some photos include the name of the sitter.
These photo cards come from a larger bound scrapbook in the civic collection. There is not much known about the donor of this book or the purpose for each photo beyond memorabilia. It is possible that they acted as calling cards. The calling card or “carte de visite” was a French invention that gained popularity in the late 19th century. These cards featured a portrait of the owner, the photo studio or artists who took the portrait, and often the address at which the owner could be reached. When calling at a house, card owners would present these objects to the household domestic staff of those they wished to call on. They acted as both a formal introduction and an invitation to return the visit.
Calling cards were very much a status symbol. The card featuring the young bride was taken at the William Notman Photography studio in Montreal. Notman moved from Scotland to Montreal in 1856 and quickly became an avid socialite and networker. By 1872 Notman had twenty-six studios in North America. The card featuring the two little girls does not have a studio name, but it seemingly has their names handwritten on the back; “Blanche and Eugenie Lafrance” .
