Carte de visite from L’Institution des Jeunes Aveugles, Toulouse (1860s/70s). Dimensions 113 x 68mm.

Private collection

Credit: Private collection

This carte de visite promoted the work of the Institution for Young Blind People in Toulouse, which had been established in 1866 by a community of nuns to teach blind children subjects including reading, writing, arithmetic and manual labour. It depicts a young boy tracking an embossed textbook resting on a nun’s knee, and a girl inscribing onto a writing frame. A notice printed on the reverse of the image describes how support is freely given to blind children with the support of charitable giving in Toulouse, but funds were running low as the number of children educated increased.

Object description:

This sepia toned photograph shows three figures next to each other and facing forward in what appears to be an interior setting. In the middle sits a nun, turned slightly to the left. She wears a long black dress, with a white wimple and collar, and a crucifix rests on her lap, along with a piece of paper, which her right hand, index finger stretched out, touches. On her left stands a young boy of about six years, dressed in a long sleeved blazer and trousers. Both his hands feel the book resting on the nun. To the nun’s right stands a young girl of about eight years, wearing a dark pinafore over a light coloured dress. In her right hand she holds a wooden frame, her left hand holds a stylus which she presses into the frame. [end description]