Andre Adolphe Eugene Disderi Paintings

André-Adolphe-Eugène Disdéri was a French photographer and inventor who is best known for popularizing the carte de visite, a small photographic image which was widely used for personal and business purposes during the mid-19th century. Born on March 28, 1819, in Paris, Disdéri started his career as an artist and lithographer before turning to photography, which was a relatively new medium at the time.

In the early 1850s, Disdéri opened a photography studio in Paris, and in 1854, he patented the carte de visite process. This process involved the production of a sheet of multiple small photographic portraits on a single print, which could then be cut into individual cards. These cards were the size of a traditional visiting card, and they rapidly became fashionable as they provided a means for individuals to share their likenesses cheaply and easily.

The carte de visite phenomenon spread throughout Europe and to the United States, and it became integral to social etiquette, with people exchanging portraits during visits. Notably, the craze for these cards also became known as 'cardomania', and it significantly influenced the business of portrait photography. Disdéri's studio became one of the most successful enterprises of its kind, and he photographed many prominent figures, including Napoleon III, for whom he was the official photographer.

Despite his initial success, Disdéri's fortunes declined in the latter part of his life. With the advent of new photographic technologies and the waning popularity of the carte de visite, he faced financial difficulties and eventually died in relative obscurity on October 4, 1889. Nevertheless, Disdéri's contribution to the field of photography, particularly in popularizing the carte de visite, had a lasting impact on the way people used photographs as a social tool and keepsake.