Join us on Zoom for three short talks in one and learn about the history of cabinet cards, which was America’s main format for photographic portraiture through the last three decades of the 19th century.

John Rohrbach, Senior Curator of Photographs at the Carter and curator of Acting Out: Cabinet Cards and the Making of Modern Photography, will share how cabinet cards contributed to the public’s embrace of photographs as informal markers of everyday life.

Dr. Erin Pauwels, Assistant Professor of Art History at Temple University’s Tyler School of Art and Architecture, will discuss New York City photographer Napoleon Sarony and his patented posing apparatus that led to unique and personal expression in the medium.

Dr. Britt Salvesen, Curator and Department Head of the Wallis Annenberg Photography Department and Prints & Drawings Department at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, will discuss the business side of small-town studios and how these photographers were able not only to make a living but to stand out in their community.

Following their talks, all three speakers will participate in a Q&A.