This collection is arranged by object type. The correspondence is arranged chronologically, while both the ambrotypes and the cartes de visite are arranged by identification of the subject. All of the photographs do not include a concrete date, though they are dated from c.1860s-1870s.

A collection of ambrotypes, cartes de visite, and correspondece belonging to Charles Deforest Fredricks.

The Charles Deforest Fredricks Collections is comprised of ambrotypes, cartes de visite, and correspondence. Charles D. Fredricks began his career in photography by chance; a trip to South America to visit his brother and an experience to see the process of creating daguerreotypes sparked his interest in photography. His first studio was in Paris in the early mid-19th century where he learned how to create Talbotypes. This type of photograph used a process which transferred the image onto paper, making the photographs more portable. With his experiences and skills from his time in Paris, Fredricks moved to New York City and brought to the city, as well as the country, the cartes de visite craze.

For twenty years in the mid-to-late 19^th century, the photography studio of Charles D. Fredericks was the grandest and most chic gallery in New York City. Success in New York gave Fredricks the chance to travel. On one of his travels to Havana, Cuba, Fredricks began to document the city and later opened up a studio. Fredricks continued to add to his portfolio until the late 19^th century. With a focus on the growth of cities in South America and Cuba, Fredricks also shot many prominent politicians, Civil War heroes, and actors. Leaving behind an indelible mark in the world of photography, Charles D. Fredricks passed away in 1894 in New York City.

References

Historic Camera. (2002-2012). Charles D. Fredricks Profile. Retrieved from http://historiccamera.com/cgi-bin/librarium2/pm.cgi?action=app_display&app=datasheet&app_id=237