These cartes de visite represents mainly Andean indigenous peoples (34 documents over a total number of 42), comprising full length and torso studio photographic portraits. The remaining cards represent different persons of European origin from Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay. These cards -small albumen photographic prints mounted on cards 2-1/2 by 4 inches- were wildly popular and made for decades around the world
The compact size and easier production methods lowered costs and meant that nearly any middle-class person could afford to have a set of the small portraits made. The standard 2-1/2" x 4" format was patented by the French photographer André Adolphe Disderi in 1854.
There is no certainty about the exact date the original photographs forming this collection were taken, although several cards were produced in the studio of the Bolivian photographer Natalio Bernal, who was established in La Paz by the 1860s, and in one of the cartes de visite (EAP207/CDV/001/0014) a signature reads: “Julio 9/77” (July 9/77). That is the reason why this collection was dated between 1860 and 1880. Bearing in mind that the creator of this collection remains unknown and in order not to give misleading information it has been decided to name the collection as Cartes de visite (CDV), being the documental type the only common element of the pieces compounding it. However, the strongest hypothesis we can state about the authorship of this collection affirm the probability that his creator was the Italian dentist and surgeon Guido Bennati. There are some indications supporting the hypothesis above mentioned, let us point out Bennati as a probable creator of this collection.
All the cards in the collection have an inscription on their back that reads “MUSEO DE LA PLATA, PROVINCIA DE BUENOS AIRES”, which means this collection entered the Museum before 1906 (when this institution was moved from provincial rule to national rule.) An inscription in one of these cards (EAP207/CDV/001/0014) reads: “Al Sr. Comendador Dr. Guido Bennati. Prueba de eterna amistad.- Vuestro amigo S. S. Bernabé Mendizábal” (To Mr. Comendador Dr. Guido Bennati. As a sign of eternal friendship.- Your friend S. S. Bernabé Mendizábal”). This indicates that at least one of the cards of this collection was property of Dr. Bennati. Finally all the cartes de visite refers to South American places and people that Bennati visit and met during his trips.
