Historic Hood River
Cabinet Cards as Art
Notes
Cabinet cards are on of my favorite photographic art forms. They were popular for decades, offering the masses a relatively affordable way to share family photographs with friends and family, but they also gave a photographer a chance to showcase their talent. Cabinet cards were stiff paper cards about 4 1/2″ by 6 1/2″, usually with the name of the photographer and studio prominently advertised on front (and frequently on back), serving as the mount for a posed studio photographic image. The images would always have a two-dimensional backdrop, and then furnishings and props for the subjects creating a three dimensional effect.
My favorite cabinet card by a local photographer was this portrait of corn stalks by W.D. Rodgers. You can browse many other fine cabinet cards I’ve posted on this site here.
You may recognize the folks in this image: that’s Hood River Glacier editor and Civil War veteran Samuel Finley Blythe (left) and Emma Jane Blythe (right) with children Clara Harriet Blythe and Edward Nation Blythe. Edward was born in 1879, so I am dating this image to about 1889. We know Blythe visited New York City for a GAR encampment, though I don’t know the year. It’s possible they posed for this card on that trip.
JKG
That mullet is outstanding.