Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Taber Elegant Victorian Woman San Francisco CA
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Woman Spectacles Floral Lace Collar Patterned
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Handsome Young Man Mustache Suit Tie Vignette
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Duvall Young Boy Lloyd Double Colfax WA
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1890s G. W. Folsom Young Woman Puffed Sleeves
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Groton Smiling Baby Toddler Frilly White Lace
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Young Woman Short Curly Hair Large Lace Collar
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Chas A Park Handsome Young Man Plaid Norwalk OH
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1880s F H Smith Young Woman Vignette Shelby OH
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Torney Elder Woman Lace Collar Pin Milwaukee WI
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Goldsmith Handsome Young Man Springfield Mass
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1880s A J Buhl Young Woman High Collar Holland NY
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1880s F Mader Dapper Young Man Suit Chillicothe OH
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Furman Boy Plaid Dress Lace Collar Rochester NY
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Schaefer Toddler Rudolph Blum Rochester NY
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Victorian Woman Wavy Crimped Hair Lace Collar
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Dapper Young Man Standing Studio Velvet Chair
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Handsome Young Man Mustache Suit Oval Portrait
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Gardner Young Boy Three Piece Suit Pocket NY
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Elliott Handsome Man Three Piece Morris Minn
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1880s E D Jeanes Young Man Mustache Suit Allentown PA
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Griffin Cute Baby White Dress Scranton PA
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Jc Sunderlin Baby Gown Armchair Flemington NJ
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1880s H. Buchholz Victorian Woman Springfield Mass
Cabinet cards are larger albumen photographs mounted on thicker, often decorated card stock. First offered in London in 1863 and reaching American studios by 1866, they were dominant from the 1880s through the early 1900s — the ‘Golden Age’ of the cabinet card runs roughly 1870 to 1895 — and continued in declining numbers into the 1920s.
HistoryOrigin & era
Cabinet cards offered the same albumen process as CDVs but at a size more flattering to detailed studio work. By the 1880s mounts grew elaborate — gold edges, embossed studio logos, chromolithographed backs. The format faded sharply after Eastman Kodak's 1900 Brownie put cameras in everyone's hands; few cabinet cards date after 1906, and the last were produced in the early 1920s.
IdentificationHow to spot a Cabinet Card
- Mount roughly 4¼ × 6½ inches.
- Heavier card stock than a CDV, often with rounded corners and gold or beveled edges.
- Photographer's imprint usually on the front below the photo, with elaborate logos on the back.
- Plain pale mounts are earlier (1870s); dark green, black, and gilt mounts are 1880s–1890s.
Cabinet Card sizes
Standard cabinet cards are remarkably consistent, but several larger "deluxe" formats were sold by the same studios.
| Format | Inches | Millimeters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard cabinet card | 4¼ × 6½ in | 108 × 165 mm | Universal mount size. |
| Cabinet print on mount | ≈ 3¾ × 5½ in | ≈ 95 × 140 mm | Photo trimmed to fit with a narrow border. |
| Promenade | 4 × 7 in | 102 × 178 mm | Taller variant, popular 1875–1900. |
| Boudoir | 5¼ × 8½ in | 133 × 216 mm | Larger format for full-length portraits. |
| Imperial | 6⅞ × 9⅞ in | 175 × 251 mm | Largest of the cabinet-family mounts. |
| Panel | 4 × 8 in | 102 × 203 mm | Narrow, full-length portrait format. |
Common questions
What is a cabinet card?
A cabinet card is a Victorian-era portrait photograph — an albumen print mounted on a heavy card roughly 4¼ × 6½ inches. First offered in London in 1863 and arriving in American studios by 1866, cabinet cards were the standard portrait format from about 1880 through the early 1900s and continued in declining numbers into the 1920s.
How do I date a cabinet card?
Mount color and decoration are the best clues: pale buff or cream stock with a simple imprint is 1870s; dark gray or maroon with gold edges is mid-1880s; deep green, black, or chocolate brown with ornate gilt lettering is 1890s. Beveled edges with gold appear around 1885.
What are cabinet cards worth?
Generic studio portraits typically run $5–$20. Cards depicting identified subjects, occupational scenes, ethnographic subjects, post-mortem photography, or well-known photographers can range from $50 to several hundred dollars. Condition, sharpness of the print, and subject interest matter more than age.
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