A composite photograph is a photographic image made of more than one smaller images, and has been a popular style of photography since the mid 1800s. Early composite photographs were made in a variety of ways. One way involved printing two or more negatives, one after the other, on a sheet of paper. Another way was to cut out numerous small pictures, paste or pin them on a plain or artistic background, then photographic the resulting design. In many of the former, you can see the pins in the image.
This style of image could be applied to many processes and styles, ranging from the postcard to the cabinet card. The design could be formal or unusual, and was up to the imagination of the photographer.
