Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Cabinet Card Criley & Wagner Gorgeous Young Lady Brooch Butler Pennsylvania
Cabinet Card R.H. Furman Gorgeous Young Lady Cross Necklace Rochester New York
Victorian Cabinet Card G.I. Pruden Handsome Bearded Man Cortland New York
Cabinet Card Boyer Family Group Man With Mustache Women Boy Reading PA
Cabinet Card Marshall Handsome Man With Mustache In Suit Denver Colorado
Cabinet Card Bronze Candelabrum Annibale Fontana Certosa Di Pavia Italy
Cabinet Card Stevenson Young Gorgeous Lady In Dark Dress El Dorado Kansas
Cabinet Card Fr. Unterberger Landscape Urfeld Am Walchensee Innsbruck Austria
Cabinet Card Arthur Stanton Handsome Old Bearded Man In Suit Genoa New York
Cabinet Card C. R. Clark Handsome Old Bearded Man In Suit Glasses Troy New York
Cabinet Card Luke C. Dillon Massachusetts Room Mount Vernon Mansion Wash
Cabinet Card Asel P. Smith's Residence Victorian House Fayette Wisconsin
Cabinet Card Cute Young Child Junior Harwood Leaning On Draped Table Unmarked
Cabinet Card & CDV Morgeneier Handsome Old Bearded Man C.C. Beck Winona
Cabinet Card Alfredo Noack Landscape View Menaggio Lake Como Genova Italy
Cabinet Card Maison Martinet Fontaine Moliere Monument Statue Paris France
Cabinet Card Gendron Handsome Old Bearded Man In Suit Westerly Rhode Island
Cabinet Card Ornate Religious Church Balustrade Interior Certosa Di Pavia Italy
Cabinet Card Gorgeous Bouquet Of Daisies Wildflowers Still Life Floral Unmarked
Cabinet Card Cobb Gorgeous Young Lady Long Hair Plaid Dress Binghamton New York
Cabinet Card Walter E. Chickering Old Man Mustache Dr. Rounds Plymouth
Cabinet Card Terracotta Piscina Pool Sculpture Certosa Di Pavia Italy
Cabinet Card Luke C. Dillon Georgia Room Lady Washington Sitting Room Washington
Cabinet Card L. Le May Seven Young Women And Man In Victorian Dress Ada Ohio
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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