Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Baumgardner Two Women Leg Mutton Springfield OH
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Wamsley & Geninazzi Four Boys Hats Bremen in
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1890s M. M. Mudge Handsome Man Bust Valparaiso in
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1880s W Wilson Woman Hat Flower Paddington London UK
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Victorian Woman Posing Ruffled High Neck Black
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Steger Woman High Collar Buttoned Findlay OH
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Anderson Four Women Dark Victorian Wiscasset me
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Rudolph Uhlman Young Woman Lace St Joseph MO
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Elmer Chickering Woman Puff Sleeve Boston MA
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Wurmser Woman High Collar Brooch Findlay OH
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Elmer Chickering Woman Portrait Boston MA
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1890s White Three Children Siblings Swan Keene NH
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Walter E Chickering Woman Bust Boston MA
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Young Woman Floral Lace Bodice St Joseph MO
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Mahan Woman Pattern Dress Brooch Pittsburgh PA
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Jw Souder Young Woman White Bow St Joseph MO
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Higgins Portrait Dorcas Nichols Wheeling WV
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1880sBlack Baby Child Dark Velvet Dress Embroidered
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Gregg Young Man Suit Striped Pants Geneva Ind.
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1870s D H Wright Handsome Young Man Terre Haute in
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1890s L N Dodd Young Couple Man Woman Utica Utica OH
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Hayes Young Girl Long Hair Heart Portland or
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Victorian Woman Dark Dress Braided Hair Floral
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1880s B.F. Ogden's Sons Young Man Teen Albany NY
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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