CT Murdoch, 1886

CT Murdoch, 1886. A cabinet card portrait of CT Murdoch, taken at the studio of Walton Adams, Reading, in 1886. The portrait was made to commemorate Murdoch's election as Member of Parliament for Reading in the parliamentary election held on 3rd July, 1886. Cabinet cards are photographs mounted on stiff pieces of cardboard - about 16 cms by 11cms. The front of the card is usually printed or embossed with the photographer's details. The back of the cabinet card is often printed with elaborate designs. Cabinet cards were introduced in the 1860s and gradually superseded the smaller carte de visite format. The popularity of the cabinet card waned around the turn of the century, particularly after the introduction of the photographic postcard, but they were still being produced well into the twentieth century. ©SSPL/National Media Museum