Custom microphotographs of common people

by Brian Stevenson
last updated March, 2025

A small number of Victorian-era microphotograph slides are known that bear images of everyday people, examples of which are shown below. These appear to be custom-made novelties, probably from negatives that were also used to produce large prints, cartes-de-visites, or cabinet cards. I think it likely that most, or all, of these personalized microphotographs were made on demand by professional photographers/microphotographers. For example, in 1874, microscope slide-maker/microphotographer Edmund Wheeler (1808-1884) advertised that he would produce microphotograph slides for customers (Figure 1). It is also possible that amateurs might have tried their hands at this art.

Figure 1. Excerpt from Edmund Wheeler's 1874 catologue, offering that "any one sending a good carte de visite (or preferably the negative plate) can have one dozen copies mounted as transparent microphotographs. Price 18s". Figures 2-4 show such microphotographs by Wheeler.

Figure 2. "One of my friends", by Edmund Wheeler.

Figure 3. Two microphotographs of the same image, labeled "Photograph portrait" and "One of my friends", by Edmund Wheeler. This appears to be the same man who appears in a different pose on another microphotograph (Figure 4).

Figure 4. "One of my friends", by Edmund Wheeler.

Figure 5. "Portrait". The handwriting and style of label suggest that it was produced by Edward Ward (1844-1901), a professional maker of microphotographs and other types of microscope slides, based in Manchester, England.

Figure 6. A young boy in a dress (as was custom of the era) and two girls, diamond-etched "The Jamesons" and dated 12th March, 1860.

Figure 7. "Mr. & Mrs. Sutcliff, Mrs. Watt, Mr. Whittle, Miss Moyle, Master Moyle".

Figure 8. A woman and a teenage boy, labeled "E.C.W., F.Q." (perhaps the initials of the sitters?).

Acknowledgements

Thank you to Richard Courtiour, who recognized the similarities between the "Portrait" microphotograph in Figure 5 and the work of Edward Ward. Images are from the author's collection or adapted for nonprofit, educational purposes from internet auction and sale sites.