IBM cards were originally designed to store information...just letters and numbers (see Hollerith Cards). These IBM cards had the ability to store images...basically, a photographic negative was glued to an open window cut into the card.

The cards were often used to store diagrams, charts, design plans, drawings of machine parts, architectural rendering, etc. The standard hole punch part of the card stored information about the image.

These particular cards were from the US Department of Defense and were called Dual Purpose Engineering Document Card. This set had a total of 30 cards and each card was dated June 1, 1966. (We haven't checked them closely, but they are probably not plans for a nuclear missile!)