Today we take selfies with friends in every situation, but in the 19th century the society was still very prudish. People went to the photographer as a couple when you were either celebrating an engagement or marriage, or living together already married and celebrating a special occasion.
Usually they received 12 carte-de-Visites, which were then given to the family or close friends. In this gallery I have made only a small selection. Many of the CDVs in my collection depict an engagement or wedding. In rural areas the women wore traditional costumes and the men in Sunday suits, and in the city they mostly wore special wedding clothes
Update January 2022