Format Highlight: Cabinet Cards

Primary Source Set
by Greta Bahnemann, Metadata Librarian, Minnesota Digital Library, Minitex

Arts and Literature Format Highlight

The cabinet card or cabinet photograph was a form of photography popular during the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. The cabinet card saw its origins in the smaller carte de visite, which was introduced in the early 1860s. Both the carte de visite and the cabinet card consisted of an albumen photograph mounted directly on thin cardstock. The cabinet card, measuring 4.25 x 6.5 inches, was substantially larger than the diminutive carte de visite. By the 1870s the cabinet card had surpassed the carte de visite in popularity.

The process of creating a cabinet card was relatively straightforward. The image was mounted directly onto the cardstock. A small border of cardstock remained exposed around the photograph, including a slightly wider border at the bottom of the image. This wider border frequently contained information about photographer and the photography studio. The resulting photograph was often highly decorative with the inclusion of gilt details, cut scalloped edges, and the use of colored cardstock. The decorative details on cabinet photographs was no accident. These images were designed to be placed on display in a “parlor cabinet.”    

The format lent itself to both studio portrait photography as well as views of both the built and natural environments. The six rows of images featured in this Primary Source Set showcase some of the common subject matters of this photography technique: Images 1-3: examples of the built environment including a school and a church. Images 4-6: exhibitions, fairs and special events. Images 7-9: formal studio portraits. Images 10-12: sport teams, dramatic socieities, and recreational activities. Images 13-15: natural environment, natural features, and transportation. Images 16-18: examples of some of life’s most important moments including first communion, a wedding, and even the death of a beloved child.

During the 1890s increasingly complex design details were added to the cardstock blank, including rounded corners, gilt edges, and embossed text. The cabinet card essentially peaked in the late 19^th century; and by the 1930s the technique had fallen out of production.