A cabinet card is a type of photographic portrait mounted on a card that was popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The cabinet card was named after its size, which was approximately 4.25 x 6.5 inches. It was larger than the standard carte de visite, which was typically 2.5 x 4 inches.
Cabinet cards were typically produced by professional photographers and were often used as keepsakes or given as gifts to family and friends. They were a common form of portrait photography during the Victorian era and were popular because they provided a larger, more detailed image than other types of photographs.
The cabinet card process involved creating a glass plate negative, which was then used to make multiple prints on albumen paper. These prints were then mounted on cardstock and often featured decorative borders or embossing. The cabinet card format remained popular until the early 20th century when new technologies, such as the smaller and more affordable snapshot camera, began to replace it.
Image by Ai Junkie
