This carte de visite features a well dressed man posing for his portrait at the L & F Caron studio in Amiens, France. Note the gentleman’s bushy mustache and his bowler hat. In addition, check out the box on which the fellow is resting his right hand. I wonder if the box served a purpose or if it was purely decorative. The gentleman seems very poised in front of the camera. The Caron studio was located in Amiens, a city in northern France. Leon Jean-Baptiste Victor Caron was born in 1841 in Amiens. His father, Alfred, was a printer and bookseller. Upon his father’s death,, Leon’s mother managed the bookstore. At the end of the 1860’s his mother opened a photography studio which she named “Veuve Alfred Caron”. Interestingly, the translation of “veuve” is “widow”. Leon’s mother chose to name the studio under her late husband’s name, rather than her own. This was likely the result of best business practices in a misogynist society. At an unknown date, Leon took over the studio from his mother. For a time, he had a partner named F. Caron, who was likely, Leon’s brother. Leon won many medals for his photographs, including a gold medal in Paris in 1892. He was still an active photographer in 1901. Remarkably, the Caron studio remained in business until the 1960’s.