Carte de visite Paul Frecker Many of Silvy's celebrity portraits were available either in black-and-white or hand-coloured. In black-and-white, the celebrity portraits retailed for 1/6, while the hand-coloured ones cost twice as much, selling for 3/-. Although Silvy's commissioned portraits were relatively expensive - a sitting with Silvy cost 2 guineas, for which sum the client received 40 cartes - his celebrity cartes retailed for approximately the same amount as those produced by his contemporaries. They were directly from the studio, by mail order through a catalogue, or from the concession that Silvy maintained at the Crystal Palace. After this stall was relinquished in March 1864, Silvy's cartes could ordered through Negretti and Zambra at the same venue. In addition, the celebrity cartes were wholesaled to various stockists through A. Marion & Company of Soho Square.
