Lewis Cass, circa 1860

01

Artifact Overview

Politician Lewis Cass, who served from 1857 to 1860 as Secretary of State under President James Buchanan, posed for this carte-de-visite in a professional photographer's studio around 1860. Cartes-de-visite, small photographic prints on cardboard stock, remained popular from the Civil War in the 1860s through the 1880s. Americans commonly collected and exchanged them to commemorate family members or celebrities.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Carte-de-visite (Card photograph)

Subject Date

circa 1860

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Object ID

2012.0.5.66

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford

Material

Cardboard
Paper (Fiber product)
Ink

Technique

Albumen process
Mounting
Handwriting

Color

Black-and-white (Colors)

Dimensions

Height: 4 in
Width: 2.375 in

Inscriptions

Handwritten in ink on front under image: Lew Cass Ink stamp on back of image reads: J. J. RANDALL / FISHER BLOCK DETROIT / FEB / 1 / 1865