Cabinet Card

MediumPhotograph mounted on card

Dimensions6 1/2 × 4 1/4 in. (16.5 × 10.8 cm)

ClassificationsPhotographs

Credit LineGift of Marian Daniells. In the Farm House Museum Collection, Farm House Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Object number74.16.83a

Status

On view

Collections

Works of Art on Paper & Photography

CultureAmerican

Label TextFirst introduced in 1860s, cabinet cards quickly became a sensation in the Victorian world. These photographs, mounted on sturdy cardboard, were perfectly sized for home display such as on side tables or cabinets (hence the name). Affordable and easy to produce, they made photographic portraits accessible to middle-class families and soon became treasured keepsakes to exchange with friends and relatives. While the photographs themselves remained fairly consistent, the cardboard mounts evolved with fashion. Early examples commonly featured cream-colored backs with sharp corners, but by the 1880s and 1890s, rounded corners, darker shades like black, brown, burgundy, and green, and even gold or silver finishes became popular. Studios often printed their names and locations along the bottom border, turning each card into both a portrait and a form of advertisement. Cabinet cards reached peak popularity in the 1890s but declined rapidly with the rise of new trends in photography and the onset of World War I. Though some studios continued producing them into the 1920s, they soon became relics of a bygone photographic era, yet remain invaluable records of Victorian fashion, family life, and social history. This series is part of a larger collection representing one family, the Daniells. https://blog.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/find-out-when-a-photo-was-taken-identify-a-cabinet-card/ https://www.australianculture.org/cabinet-cards/ https://www.thoughtco.com/identifying-and-dating-old-cabinet-card-photographs-1422271

Period19th century

Locations