These five carte de visites were taken by the eminent photographer J. P. Ball. He was a Black man who became one of the most renown photographers of his time. He was based for several decades in Cincinnati, Ohio, and was variously located at 120 West Fourth Street and at 30 West Fourth Street. Each cdv in this group is a portrait of a well-dressed White person, either seated or standing in a studio setting; the back drops of four are blank walls, while on standing man has a chair, ottoman easel, table, curtain and ornate lamp in his photo. One card is embossed “J. P. Ball 30 W. 4th St” in the lower left corner. The back of that card is blank. The back of the four other cards has the name and address of the studio stamped on them.