Oh, I’m so pleased with myself! I’ve just purchased 20 cartes-de-visite from the Waterlooplein in Amsterdam for 50 cents a piece. I visited a friend and on my return decided to quickly cruise this vintage and antique market which is located in the city centre.
I stumbled upon a vendor who had box with cartes-de-visite (or CDVs for short) in his truck. I picked out twenty cards that were speaking to me. They are raw, a bit damaged, but I like them anyway.
This time I choose some CDVs of children and babies too. Usually I go for women or couples, but there were a few mother-and-child photos that I was drawn to.
Aren’t they adorable?
Although wearing a hat was custom in the 19th century, I rarely see women posing for a carte-de-visite with a hat on.
Over the years I’ve gathered quite a collection of these cartes-de-visite. I have two digital downloads in my Etsy shop, you can find them here and here.
I use photo copies of the CDVs in my own art journals, but the step of using originals is not far away.
