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Details
- Date
- 1875
- Media category
- Photograph
- Materials used
- carte de visite
- Dimensions
- 6.0 x 9.5 cm image; 6.2 x 10.1 cm mount card
- Signature & date
Not signed. Not dated.
- Credit
- Purchased 2014
- Location
- Not on display
- Accession number
- 298.2014
- Copyright
- Artist information
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Charles Collins
Works in the collection
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About
Charles Collins was a professional photographer active in Sydney and rural New South Wales. He had a studio in Maclean in 1882, and made cartes de visite of towns, people and properties in Bega, Bombala, and Grafton in New South Wales. Between 1881 and 1900 he established a studio in Sydney, where he advertised inexpensive cabinet card portraits.
A carte de visite is a stiff card of about 10 x 6.4 cm, with an attached paper photograph, invented in 1854 by André-Adolphe-Eugène Disderi. They were introduced into Australia in 1859 by William Blackwood with albums arriving in 1860, aiding the collection and distribution of multiple cartes. Cartes were usually portraits and were made by the millions worldwide. Multi-lens, or ‘multiplying’ cameras were introduced in the 1860s, which were capable of producing from 2 to 32 images in quick succession, dramatically increasing the number of cartes de visite that could be made from a single photographic plate. They were easily reproduced by making paper contact prints from the glass plates, which were then cut and pasted to card.
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Exhibition history
Shown in 1 exhibition
The photograph and Australia, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 21 Mar 2015–08 Jun 2015
The photograph and Australia, Queensland Art Gallery, South Brisbane, 04 Jul 2015–11 Oct 2015