[CABINET CARD] Two-Headed Calf

An original cabinet card photograph (14cm x 9.5cm), printed on thick card, with the imprint ‘Marion Imp Paris’; now remounted, framed and glazed in a replica-style Victorian gilt frame; a couple of brown spots to photograph; else an excellent survival. 

Cabinet cards featuring animal curiosities, anthropomorphic taxidermy, or unusual pets reached peak popularity during the late Victorian era, driven by a cultural obsession with natural history oddities, circus sideshows, and elaborate studio setups. In the late 19th century, calves born with bicephaly (two heads resulting from the incomplete splitting of a single embryo) were highly coveted by dime museums, traveling carnivals, and curious farmers. Because these animals were almost always stillborn or died within hours, they were quickly taxidermied and put on display, and local photographers would sell cabinet cards to eager collectors or tourists. The present example appears to be a ‘vernacular’ card taken by an anonymous local farm photographer, with the ‘-..-’ following the imprint dating the photograph to the late 1880s. 

SKU: 1800270