Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Lamont Handsome Man with Mustache Pottsville PA
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Kurtz Handsome Man with Mustache Syracuse NY
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Burgess Bearded Old Man Suit Great Falls NH
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s W.E. Merrill Handsome Man with Mustache Ovid MI
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s H.M. Wells Old Bearded Man In Suit Cambridge NY
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Young Lady In Dress Valparaiso Indiana
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Brownell Handsome Man with Mustache RI
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Dunshee Bearded Man In Suit Boston MA
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Grotecloss Bearded Man In Suit New York NY
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Slocum Handsome Man In Suit Cincinnati OH
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Flaglor Handsome Man with Mustache San Francisco
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Levi Sherman Gorgeous Lady In Hat Rochester NY
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s B. Kuhlmann Handsome Man with Mustache NY
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Harlow Handsome Man with Mustache Athol MA
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Percival Old Bearded Man Putnam Connecticut
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Theod. G. Simms Man with Mustache New York
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Critcherson Old Bearded Man Worcester MA
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Brown Barnes Bell Old Man In Suit Liverpool
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Farley Handsome Man with Mustache Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s J.N. Cole Handsome Man w/ Mustache New York
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s E. Schmidt Bearded Man In Suit Berea Ohio
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Geo. H. Dreser Lady In Dress Winfield Kansas
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Walton Bearded Man In Suit Aurora Ind
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Howe Handsome Man with Mustache Unmarked
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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