Victorian Advertising: Cabinet Card Collecting: A Chicago Collectible

While some collect  cabinet photo cards for their images or for examples of Victorian Dress often the value in these cards is not necessarily the image on the front but rather the advertising image on the back.

Such is the case with this cabinet card photo we got in. Its a usual pose of a young gentleman on the front and inscribed Louis H Rudolph (photographer)  957 Milwaukee Ave. Chicago. However the back is an exceptional architectural example of the photographers studio and Chicago's grand 'lost architecture.

Talk about "Victorian excess" The building has every form of grand ornamentation with classical and beaux arts ornamentation. This was Victorian marketing in its purest form. Unlike many simple cabinet photos this photographer artfully incorporated advertising on the back of the card so when asked "where did you acquire such a fine photograph", one only had to flip the card over.

So when you are out looking at old cabinet card photos, turn them over and you might find a treasure like this one.

We always have a collection of cabinet cards in the shop, but this one is pretty special.