HF The History of Photography 600pág

The carte-de-visite period 303
Cabinet and other new formats. By 1867 the demand for carte portraits was rapidly
waning, and it became necessary to find some substitute which would give new
impetus to photography, which was going through a period of depression. This was
done with more success than had at first been thought possible, by F. R. WINDOW,
partner in the London portrait business Window & Bridge, who in a communication
to The Photographic News of 18 May 1866 had suggested the Cabinet portrait,23
larger and of better proportions than the carte. The Cabinet format was a portrait
st in. x 4 in. on a mount 6t in. x 4-!- in. The idea was taken up readily by the editor
of The Photographic News, who week after week urged photographers to bring the
new picture size into fashion. Cabinet views had, however, originated four years
earlier with G. W. Wilson, when the same editor praised the 'new style which will
have many followers.' 2 4 Opticians made lenses for it, dealers produced albums for
the new size, and slowly the Cabinet portrait gained ground in the leading London
studios (after having been introduced with marked success in the provinces), the
Continent, and America. By 1868 the Cabinet was universally adopted (though
cartes continued to be made) and collecting began all over again.
During the late 1870s it became fashionable to have larger framed photographs
hanging on the wall or standing on the piano. New formats appeared-the Promenade,
7t in. X Ji in., the Boudoir, Bi in. x 5 in. (mount size), Imperial, IO in. x 7 in.
mount, the Panel, 13 in. x 8 in. mount, the last being introduced by Alexander
Bassano.
For I guinea, the sitter could take his choice of 12 cartes, 6 Cabinets, or 4 Boudoirs.
Leading portrait photographers could of course command much higher fees for
framed pictures. VALENTINE BLANCHARD'S charges were :
size in inches
IO X 8 £1 IO 0
I2 X IO £3 IO 0
I 5 x I 2 £5 5 0
2 0 x I6 £7 7 0
2 4 x 2 0 £8 8 0
Outside fashionable society, the carte and the Cabinet remained in favour, and mixed
albums for both were popular until the First World War. Indeed, in the mid-1 8 Bos
'the growing distaste for Christmas cards has led to a greatly increased demand for
carte or Cabinet portraits to take their place.'25