Figure 1.--.

There are substantial differences in the chronological pattern for caninent cards in the United States and Europe. The cabinet card was introduced for portraits in America during 1866. I assume this was the approximate time it was introduced in Europe, but have no details at this time. Caninent cards actually appeared before 1866, but mostly for landscape views. But the first portraits appear in 1866. Cabinet cards in America soon surpassed the smaller CDV format in popularity. CDVs continued to be popular in Europe, but their popularity declined sharply in America by the 1880s. I am bot sure why this difference developed. Note the 1866 date. This means that there were no Civil War cabinent cards. There were Civil War CDVs, but no Civil War cabinent cards. The CDV was the doiminant format during the 1860s. We note both cabinent cards and CDVs during the 1870s. The cabinent card had largely replaced the CDV in America by the 1880s. The cabinet cards in America were particularly popular from 1875-1895. Caninent cards began to decline in the late 1890s, but especially after 1900. We note a tendency for framed portraits (decorated paper frames) by the 1900s as well as the popularity of postcard portraits. In addition, the development of the Kodak Brownie and the popularity of amateur snapshots led to a decline in formal studio portrait. The popularity of cabinent cards persisted longer in Europe. Also after 1895 new forms of portraits appeared. Cabinet cards declined as a result after 1895 and become increasing rare in America during the 1900s. The time line is somewhat different in Europe where cabinet cards were still being made at the nset of World War I in 1914. A few were even still being made in the early 1920s. A related fevelopment was the decline of the card photograph album, replaced by the snapshot (an unmounted paper print) and the scrapbook album. A problem working with cabinent cards, as with other formats is that most are not dated. We are developing information on the chronology of these cards.

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Created: 9:51 AM 7/9/2006
Last updated: 9:51 AM 7/9/2006