Cabinet Cards

Submitted by Al …

(Adapted from The Encyclopedia of Photography ©1963)

Before the Civil War, family photographic albums were filled with a kind of portrait known as Carte de Visite. These early pictures were about 2-1/4 x 3-1/4 inches in size and were characterized by their ornate style and exaggeration of pose.

After the war, the cabinet card was introduced from London. Cabinet cards were larger in size (4 x 5-1/2) and provided greater scope for portrait photographers who could now do better work, especially with posing and lighting.

They were produced in the following way: A glass plate was first coated with albumen and with a collodion layer. The silver bath was then applied. After exposure, the plate was developed in acetic acid and iron sulfate and fixed in potassium cyanide. Printing was done by sunlight on paper which was later fixed and toned in gold or platinum.