Victoria Woodhull and Tennie C. Claflin

These two cabinet photos were taken of the sisters Victoria Woodhull and Tennie C. Claflin by a San Francisco photographer when they were on a trip to the West Coast. Cabinet photos first appeared in the 1870's and because of their larger and more spectacular appearance began to replace the earlier carte de visite in popularity. They generally measured around 4 1/2" x 6 1/2" and were mounted on thicker stock. As was the case with cartes, the photographer generally included his name on the back of the mount, often with his address as well. Cabinet photos could be placed in a photo album--many albums of the period had openings for both cartes and cabinets, but they could also be displayed on the wall or on top of dressers as well.