Popular Culture Review Vol. 20, No. 1, Winter 2009 | Page 89

Greetings from Dutch Country 85 famous carte is his 1860 Cooper Union Portrait9 of Abraham Lincoln. Crediting Brady, Lincoln himself commented that the flattering portrait, which was widely reproduced, helped him win his bid for the presidency. The tradition of the travel photograph expanded with the carte-de-visite format—a compact, portable means of exchanging information. As a practical calling card to present during social visits, the carte often featured written text, including the photographer’s title and the address of his business. On the back or below or the image, many collectors would write their own comments: the historical antecedent to the current behavior of scribbling a personal note on a card before mailing it. After 1866, the public’s interest in the carte-de-visite declined when a larger “Cabinet” card format enticed consumers of portrait photographs. By 1868, the cabinet card photograph (which was closer in size to the modem day postcard) became popular; by 1885, it had claimed most of the market of the earlier cartede-visites. From the 1850s through the early 20,h century, stereographic photography10 soon became a popular parlor entertainment that “helped turn photography into