Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Holden & Webster Handsome Man Mustache Amesbury Mass.
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Jessup Young Handsome Man Mustache Middletown NY
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Morton Handsome Young Man In Suit Providence
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Collins Gorgeous Black Young Lady In Hat & Cross Lynn
Cabinet Card Circa 1900s Bond Handsome Man With Mustache Suit Rockland ME
Cabinet Card Circa 1898 F. Neifert Cute Young Girls White Dresses South Bend IN
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Handsome Young Man In Suit Vignette Portrait Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1900s Kern Brother Handsome Young Man In Suit NY NY
Cabinet Card Circa 1870s Distinguished Old Bearded Man In Dark Coat Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s A.o. Reed Handsome Man With Mustache Suit Brunswick
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Foster Handsome Young Man Suit Patterned Tie Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Emerson Gorgeous Lady Paolo-Marie NY NY
Cabinet Card Circa 1900s Barnes Four Gorgeous Women in Long Dresse Brooklyn IA
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Handsome Man Rev. Father Egan In Clerical Suit Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Wheeler Black Old Lady In Dress With Brooch Ottawa IL
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Hargrave Handsome Old Bearded Man NY NY
Cabinet Card Circa 1888 Edgwick's Handsome Old Bearded Man Zanesville OH
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Gorgeous Young Lady in Ruffled Dress with Puff Unmarked
CABINET CARD AFRICAN AMERICAN BLACK NANNY WITH WHITE CHILDREN MEMPHIS TENN 1880s
CIRCA 1890s CABINET CARD H. M. Waide African American Man in Suit Quincy Ill.
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s F.o. Everett Young Lady Worcester Massachusetts
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Hardy Old Lady in Dress with Lace Boston, Massachusetts
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Hayden Handsome Young Man In Suit Lowell
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Hayden Young Gorgeous Lady Puffy Sleeve Lowell
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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