carp.html

Unlike the other images in this exhibition, this photograph of carpenters at work was mounted on a larger piece of cardboard for framing. The print itself is just slightly bigger than a carte de visite, suggesting that the same image, trimmed, would have fit in the standard family albums of the day. The photographer has captured a sense of activity and movement, even though the workers were required to hold still for several seconds and were clearly posed. The project must have been an important one to be documented in this way, for the photograph was made away from the studio and would have required portable darkroom equipment. The lectern at the back of the room suggests a church or college–or, perhaps, a Town Hall.

The photographer is not identified.

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Small Worlds: The Art of the Carte de Visite