Welcome to the Cabinet Card Gallery

Welcome to the Cabinet Card Gallery. Cabinet card photographs were first introduced in 1866. They were initially employed for landscapes rather than portraitures. Cabinet cards replaced Carte de visite photographs as the popular mode of photography.  Cabinet cards became the standard for photographic portraits in 1870. Cabinet cards experienced their peak in popularity in the 1880’s.  Cabinet cards were still being produced in the United States until the early 1900’s and continued to be produced in Europe even longer. The best way to describe a cabinet card is that it is a thin photograph that is mounted on a card that measures 4 1/4″ by 6 1/2″. Cabinet cards frequently have artistic logos and information on the bottom or the reverse of the card which advertised the photographer or the photography studio’s services. Enjoy your visit.

WOMAN WITH LACE VEIL OR KERCHIEF IN KEOTA, IOWA

A mellow woman poses for her portrait at the studio of E. E. Neal in Keota, Iowa. The woman is wearing a large lace veil or kerchief. Perhaps a visitor to this blog entry can identify the headwear more specifically. Is this wide-eyed woman possibly a bride? If so, she doesn’t appear to be a happy bride.

SHAPELY FASHIONISTA IN UTICA, NEW YORK

This very fashionable woman is looking her best for her day at the photographer (W. P. Wright) in Utica, New York. She is wearing a dark dress with an interesting design coming off her shoulders. She is also wearing a collar pin as well as a wedding band. Her undergarments give her the hour glass shape that was popular during the turn of the century.

PRETTY WOMAN WEARING A FEATHERED HAT IN WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS

An attractive woman poses for her portrait at Tucker’s Studio in Worcester, Massachusetts. Her stylish hat appears to be multi feathered. Judging by her fashionable appearance, this woman is likely from the upper financial echelon of her community. The photographer is H. B. Tucker.

ZOE TUTTLE: PRETTY STAGE ACTRESS

The Boston Globe of 1880 in a play review of Uncle Toms Cabin, writes that Little Miss Zoe Tuttle played Eva in a “perfect” performance. Ms Tuttle appears to have begun as a child actress but little more information has been discovered. Additional research will be done and any facts concerning Ms Tuttle or additional comments from blog visitors would be appreciated. The photographer of this cabinet card is Myers of New York City.  This photograph is back stamped with the name of Charles Ritzmann, a well known purveyor of photographs of stage actors and actresses.

GREAT SIDEBURNS IN MADISON SQUARE, NEW YORK

A distinguished looking gentleman poses for photographer W. Kurtz of Madison Square, New York City, New York. Madison Square is the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Broadway at 23rd Street in Manhattan.  Kurtz had photographic studios in New York, Philadelphia, Paris and Vienna. He photographed many celebrities of his time and his work is in the archives of many University libraries, including Harvard University.

FIRE CHIEF OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND

This excellent image is a portrait of a fire chief in Providence, Rhode Island. He is seen in his dress uniform with a fire chief badge on his hat. His coat buttons indicate he is a fireman with the Providence Fire Department.  The photographer is Y. E. Rose of Providence, Rhode Island. The studio opened in 1886 in the Conrad Building.

AFRICAN AMERICAN MAN IN SOMERVILLE, NEW JERSEY

This interesting Cabinet Card is a photograph of an African American man posing for his portrait at the studio of W. A. Apcar in Somerville, New Jersey. This gentleman looks quite dapper and intellectual. He appears professorial but his biographical information is lost in history.

SERBIAN WOMAN IN UJVIDEK

This Cabinet Card captures the image of a Serbian woman in Ujivdek, Hungary. The town of Ujvidek is on the banks of the Danube and is the religious center of Serbians in Hungary. The town is now known as Novi Sad.  The photographer is Stojkovits Ivan. The woman is this photograph looks intensely serious as she poses for this photograph. Please leave comments providing additional information concerning this photograph or the history of Serbians during the turn of the century in this area of the world.

WHISKERS IN BOSTON

This Cabinet Card is an image of a distinguished looking gentleman with very interesting sideburns and moustache. He is posing at the Hartford Photographic Studio in Boston Massachusetts.

HOPE BOOTH: “FETCHING BUT HOPELESS THEATRE ACTRESS”

This Cabinet Card is a portrait of theatre actress, Hope Booth. This actress seems to have had a propensity for trouble. The New York Times (1896) reported that at age 23, after appearing at the “Casino Roof Gardens” in a sketch entitled “Ten Minutes in the Latin Quartier; or A Study in the Nude”, she was arrested along with the manager of the theatre. She was charged with violating public decency because of her scant costume and daring poses. Five years later, her husband, actor, James E. B. Earll was arrested after his opening appearance in a vaudeville act at Koster and Bials. Before her arrest, she appeared in George Bernard Shaw’s first play, “Widowers Houses” in 1892. A review described her as a “fetching but hopeless” actress. Shaw had seen her in an earlier show and had described her as a “young lady who can not sing, dance, or speak, but whose appearance suggests that she might profitably spend 3 or 4 years in learning the arts which are useful on stage”. Other news stories and books report that she was born in Canada, was once married to a Canadian member of Parliament, she was a distant relative of the theatrical Booth family, and that she went bankrupt bringing a play to England. She clearly led an interesting life. The Cabinet Card is part of the Newsboy Series and was used as a premium for the sale of Newsboy Plug Tobacco.