Lynne Ranien asked about the origin of the term "cabinet card" (also called a
cabinet print).  When this question was asked on the Photo-History list a
couple of years ago, the following replies emrged.  I quote Steve Knoblock,
quoting others.

In May 1862, Marion & Co announced the publication of a series of
Cabinet views,  6.75 x 4.5 inches, photographed by G W Wilson,
[see G W Wilson, Artist & Photographer, R Taylor, Aberdeen,
1981, p85] which as far as I can trace is the first public
announcement of the format. Given the name is of French origin its
pronuniciation should be `cabinee`,  which my 1850 dictionary
defines either as " A closet, a small room or retired apartment" or "
Any close place where things of value are deposited for
safekeeping"
Roger Taylor
UK

Larry Schaff said recently,
that "cabinet pictures" were produced by the Flemish and Dutch painters for
merchants houses.  They were small enough to fit on an easel.  Now
what is small for a painting would be large for a daguerreotype or
photograph but these were often displayed on small easels.  I would
suspect the term comes from there and likely pre-dates photography
(just as the early daguerreian cases were already established as
miniature painting cases).

Lately, the Dagurrean News noted that

On this day (June 25) in the year 1845, the following advertisement
appeared in the "Springfield Gazette" Vol. 14, No. 25:

  Miniatures and Portraits taken in all the
various sizes, from the smallest breast-pin size
to that of the Cabinet Portrait.

About which Luis Nadeau said:

The above is new to me as I was also under the impression that "cabinet"
had not been used to refer to a photographic size before the 1860s. This is
very interesting.

On the other hand, Shirley Wadja, offered this account:

I took the "cabinet" card to mean appropriate, by beauty or uniqueness, for
display in a cabinet.  American parlors were filled with cartes de visite and
with cabinet card-size portraits, arrayed on mantels (family-centered
hearths). whatnots
or etageres (where cabinet cards were displayed with rocks, flowers, books,
objets d'art, and the like on this altar of culture), and in wall-pockets and
on tables and, of course, albums.  The term "cabinet" seems to have referred
to the practice of collection--cabinets of curiosities, for example, a
wunder- or kunstkammer, even a schatzkammer.

I'm sure the connection is there, even if the term did originate in painting.

Hope this summary helps,

>Does anyone have an idea on the origin of the term
>"Cabinet Photograph"? Has it any relationship to
>the cabinets that miniatures were kept in?

Steve Knoblock>>

(Copied from my voluminous e-mail files.)

David Haberstich

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