Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Cabinet Card Circa 1860s A.S. Bechtold Old Cross-Eyed Lady In Dress Reading PA
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Comstock Cute Baby in Ornate Carriage Waverly NY
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s School Children Class Photo Outside School House
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s D.H. Smith Family In Formal Attire Herington Kansas
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Large Group of School Children Outside School House
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s G. A. Hazele Priest Reverend In Robes Brooklyn NY
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Cute Children In White Clothes Ornate Leaf Masque
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Pearsall Old Priest Reverend in Robes Brooklyn NY
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Borlaug Young Man With Bicycle Cresco Iowa
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Burgener Ladies In Fancy Dresses Harper Kansas
Cabinet Card C. 1890s Hutchings Handsome Man with Mustache Smith Centre Kansas
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Stafford & Charley Cute Baby Longview Texas
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Geo. Schuwirth Cute Baby in Dress Austin Texas
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Fred Sanders Man with Mustache Little Rock Arkansas
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s W.M. McMillon Handsome Man with Mustache Ferris Texas
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s H. Harper Handsome Man with Mustache Lancaster Texas
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s B.Z. Gannaway Young Man In Suit Ft. Smith Arkansas
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Harper Handsome Man in Suit Lancaster TX
Cabinet Card Men Standing in The Ocean Saint Vincent the Grenadines Caribbean
CIRCA 1890s CABINET CARD CUTE ORNATE PIANO AND STOOL SET ADVERTISEMENT
CIRCA 1870s CABINET CARD M.D. KEENEY HARDWARE & STOVE SHOP WILD WESTERN ERA
CIRCA 1870s CABINET CARD FLAT BELT GRINDER MACHINE RAILROAD & MACHINE SHOPS
CABINET CARD 15TH AMENDMENT AFRICAN AMERICAN RIGHT TO VOTE JACKSONVILLE FLORIDA
C. 1890s CABINET CARD AFRICAN AMERICAN NANNIES WHITE FAMILY GENERAL STOREFRONT
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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