Cabinet Card Curiosities in the Adams Photograph Collection

Interested in photography or photographic history? Or just want to look at some cool stuff? Check out the John and Jane Adams Photograph Collection in Special Collections and University Archives. Donated by Special Collections benefactors, John and Jane Adams (for whom the Adams Humanities building is named), the collection consists of a wide variety of photographic processes and formats, including daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, albumen prints, platinotypes, glass plate negatives, cyanotypes, cabinet cards, carte de visites, photo albums and more! These photographs primarily date from the mid-nineteenth to early twentieth centuries and contain interesting (and sometimes slightly bizarre!) portraits, exotic and familiar landscapes, cityscapes, and amusing scenes of daily life from all over the United States and abroad.

Besides offering scenes from the days of yore, the collection also provides a wonderful glimpse at late nineteenth century advertising. Displayed here is a cabinet card from a local San Diego photographer. Note the that the photographer used an easel and a painter's palette in his advertisement. Photographers in the late nineteenth century often juxtaposed cameras with artist tools, such as paint brushes and palettes, within their advertisements to gain recognition as artists rather than mere tradesmen. These advertisements also document improvements to photographic equipment and processes, and the general progression of technologies during the later nineteenth century. For instance, one photographer boasted his ability to take photographs by electric light, while another advertised his talent for enlarging prints – a difficult and uncommon process during the time.

This collection is one of many Adams collections, including the John and Jane Adams Postcard Collection, the John and Jane Adams Trade Card Collection, and the John and Jane Adams Artwork Collection. Because we are currently processing this gem of a photograph collection, it is not open for research in the Reading Room at this time. We hope to have it available by Spring semester 2011. Stay tuned for more hidden treasures!