Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Woman Curly Hair Embroidered Dress East Saginaw
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s G. F. Sterling Two Children Lace West Bay City Michigan
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Chas. F. Lee. Kenneth C. Vaughn 10mo Baby B Elyria, Ohi
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Beckmann Young Man Suit Patterned Tie Saginaw Michigan
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Johnson Young Girl Long Wavy Hair Ruffled Dress Chicago
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Smith Agnes Rice Young Girl Lace Dress East Saginaw
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Smith Amos Dashner young man wit East Saginaw, Michiga
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Porter & Co. Young Woman in Ruffled D Lockport, New Yor
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Watson Carlos Carpenter Boy Plaid Bow Tie Suit Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Bishop Bros Young Boy Eddie Bow Tie Minneapolis Minn.
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s R. J. Miller Couple Man Bowtie Woman Lace Milwaukee
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Krupp & Dolmage Infant Baby Long Gown East Saginaw Mich
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Beckmann Infant Baby IN White Lace Gown Saginaw Mich.
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Harman & Verner Woman IN Dark Dress Bay City Michigan
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s O. N. Smith Woman Dark Puffed Sleev Three Oaks, Michiga
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Smith Two Young Girls Plaid White Dress Eufaula Alabama
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Schneider Young Girl White Lace Dress Chicago Illinois
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Drago Handsome Young Man Suit Tie Bay City Michigan
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Smith Three Children Two Girls Ba East Saginaw, Michiga
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Smith Young Man Tweed Jacket Patterned Tie Saginaw Mich
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Jas. L. Duck Infant Baby IN Long White Lace Gown Mich
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Lyon Toddler Child IN Dark Dress & Bonnet Saginaw Mich.
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Smith Smiling Young Child Toddler Floral Dress Saginaw
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Markham Woman Curly Hair High Ruffle Collar Bellevue
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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