Figure 1.--This 1888 cabinent card uses the English term "Cabinent Portrait", but it was made in Vienna, Austria. We are not yet sure why an Austrian photographic studio would use the English term here. The styling of the mount is very different than American mounts during the 1880s.

CDVs appeared in the late 1859s and remained popular throughout the rest of the 19th century, at least in Europe. The pattern in America is different. The first cabinent card appeared in America during 1866 and rapidly began to replace the CDV. While we still see somne CDVs, the great bulk of the portaits taken in America during the 1870s-1890s were cabinent cards. We almost never see the term cabinent card or cabinent portrait used on these American cards. In Europe, however, we do see some of these cards labeled "caninent portrait" and this included non-English speaking continental countries. We are not sure just why this was. Perhaps cabonent cards were seen as a British or American format, just as the CDV is a French term used because oif its French origins.

America

CDVs appeared in the late 1859s and remained popular throughout the rest of the 19th century, at least in Europe. The pattern in America is different. The first cabinent card appeared in America during 1866 and rapidly began to replace the CDV. While we still see somne CDVs, the great bulk of the portaits taken in America during the 1870s-1890s were cabinent cards. We almost never see the term cabinent card or cabinent portrait used on these American cards. The American cabinent cars are generally easy to identify because along with the name of the studio, the city and state is indicated.

Austria

In Europe, however, we do see some of these cards labeled "caninent portrait" and this included non-English speaking continental countries. We are not sure just why this was. Perhaps cabinent cards were seen as a British or American format, just as the CDV is a French term used because of its French origins. The Austrian cabinent card here was taken in 1888 (figure 1).

England

Many American cities have English names. The English cabinent cards and CDVs can usually be identified because along with the city, no state is identified.

France

Germany

German cabinent cards are generally easy to identify because they include the name of the city which is normally easy to identify as German. Despite the number of German immigrants, there are relatively few American towns and cituies with German names. We are not sure at this time when cabinent cards first appeared in Germany. CDVs we believe appeared in the late 1850s and cabinent cards a few years later, probably about 1865, but we do not yet have precise dates. SDVs were the dominant format in the 1860s and 70s. Cabinent cards did not replace the CDV as in America. Moth formats were commonly made into the 1890s. Just as the French term CDV was commonly used, Germans commonly used the English-language term "Cabinent Portrait". A German reader tells us, "Today's in Germany, Cabinet would be written Kabinett but in 19th century some spelling rules were different. For example, the C was more in use. So Kabinett would have been written with C." I'm not entirely sure hy this was or of the cabinent card format was commonly seen as of foreign origins. A German reader tells us that the word "portrait" became commonly used in German and could mean both a CDV or a cabinent card.

Russia

We have very little information about Russian portrait pgotography at this time. We have no information on Daugerreotypes and other early processes like ambrotypes at this time. The CDV was popular as in Europe, but we have 19th century CDVs at this time. We do note many cabinent cards in the late-19th and early 20th centuries. Just when cbinent cards replaced CDVs and the principal format we are not yet sure.

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Created: 4:01 AM 2/6/2008
Last updated: 10:41 PM 2/10/2008