The portrait of Sally Greenwald displayed on the cartes-de-visites illustrates many of the artistic changes that came with a transition away from daguerrotypes. As photographic methods became faster and easier to duplicate, portraits assumed a more intimate meaning. Cartes-de-visites allowed wealthy elites to turn their image into a commodity which affirmed social status. Sally’s dress and jewelry indicate her desire to appear wealthy. However, her body language points to other meanings. In the portrait of Greenwald, she gazes off to the side of the frame with a slight smile. Her unique gaze generates a sense of intimacy and affection. The position of her face also emphasizes her profile, deviating from posing that Jewish people typically chose to minimize their semitic features. Perhaps the cartes-de-visite with the portrait of Sally Greenwald were intended for distribution to family members as a memento, thus explaining the personable gaze.

source: William L. Clements Library Archive, at University of Michigan. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/w/wcl1ic/x-5422/WCL005499?lasttype=boolean;lastview=thumbnail;resnum=20;size=20;sort=relevance;start=1;subview=detail;view=entry;rgn1=wcl1ic_g;select1=phrase;q1=Cartes%2520de%2520visite%25201860-1900.