Dating cabinet cards

How do you determine the date of a cabinet card?

Details of a cabinet card, from the type of card stock to whether it had right-angled or rounded corners, can often help to determine the date of the photograph to within five years. It is important to note, however, that these dating methods arent always accurate.

What is a cabinet card in photography?

About cabinet cards. Cabinet cards are photographs mounted on stiff pieces of cardboard. They were introduced in the 1860s and gradually superseded the smaller carte de visite format. The front of the card is usually printed or embossed with the photographer’s details, and the back of the cabinet card is often printed with elaborate designs.

Do you remember when cabinet cards were popular?

The cabinet card reached its peak popularity in the 1880s but was used into the early 1900s. Have you ever remembered when a photograph was taken of you based on your hairstyle or on the clothes you wore?

When was the cabinet card invented?

The cabinet card is similar to the smaller carte-de-visite which was introduced in the 1850s. Time Period: First Appeared: 1863 in London; 1866 in America. Peak Popularity: 1870-1895. Last Use: Cabinet cards are rarely found dating after 1906, although cabinet cards continued to be produced into the early 1920s.

How can you tell how old a cabinet card is?

Last Use: Cabinet cards are rarely found dating after 1906, although cabinet cards continued to be produced into the early 1920s. Details of a cabinet card, from the type of card stock to whether it had right-angled or rounded corners, can often help to determine the date of the photograph to within five years.

How can you tell how old a card mount is?

By the 1880s, cabinet card mounts sometimes had bevelled edges, and were often finished in gold or silver. The colour of the cardboard mount can also help date the photograph.

What is a cabinet card?

The cabinet card is similar to the smaller carte-de-visite which was introduced in the 1850s. Last Use: Cabinet cards are rarely found dating after 1906, although cabinet cards continued to be produced into the early 1920s.

What time period did cabinet cards come out?

Time period: Post-Civil War period, beginning in 1866 and enjoyed a peak of popularity from 1870 to 1895. Cabinet cards are rarely found after 1906.

When did the cabinet card become popular?

Owing to the larger image size, the cabinet card steadily increased in popularity during the second half of the 1860s and into the 1870s, replacing the carte de visite as the most popular form of portraiture.

What is a cabinet card?

The cabinet card was a style of photograph which was widely used for photographic portraiture after 1870. It consisted of a thin photograph mounted on a card typically measuring 108 by 165 mm ( 4

Who made card catalogs and card catalog cabinets?

Both catalog card stock and card catalog cabinets were marketed by Library Bureau, the library supply company founded by Melvil Dewey. The company was legally established in 1881although its predecessors date back to 1876. By 1886 the Library Bureau had an extensive line of products related to card catalogs.

How did the cabinet card change photography?

Early in its introduction, the cabinet card ushered in the temporary disuse of the photographic album which had come into existence commercially with the carte de visite. Photographers began employing artists to retouch photographs by altering the negative before making the print to hide facial defects revealed by the new format.