Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Lyon Toddler Child IN Dark Dress & Bonnet Saginaw Mich.
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Hoskins Young Child Toddler Girl Cheboygan Michigan
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Baker Infant Baby in White Bonnet & Go Saginaw, Michiga
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Miller Infant Baby in Long White Lace Bay City, Michiga
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Infant Baby Sitting In Chair Lace Collar Dress Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s F. Glenton Young Toddler In White Lace Dress Nashua Nh
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Wm. Mills & Son Elderly Woman In Embroidered Dress RI
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s C.m. Litchfield Young Woman High Bun Lace Collar Boston
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s A.k.p. Trask Handsome Young Man Philadelphia Pa
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s H. E. Strout Older Woman Grey Hair Lace Bow Woburn Mass
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Middle Aged Man Full Grey Beard Mustache Suit Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Knowles Young Man In Suit Anchor Tie New Bedford Mass.
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Young Woman Short Wavy Hair Lace Collar Velvet Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Young Man Short Hair Light Eyes High Collar Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Anderson B.e.s. Miller Woman Curly Hair Springfield Il
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Marion Profile Portrait Woman High Collar Lowell Mass.
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Elderly Couple Man Long White Beard Woman Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s M. Thomas Young Boy Patterned Bow Hat Shamokin Penn.
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Lamson Middle Aged Woman Dark Dress Portland Maine
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Smith Young Woman Dark Lace Trim Bodice Sanford Maine
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s B. Hayden Woman Wavy Hair Lace Collar Chelsea Mass.
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s P.e. Chillman Ben Cope Young Man Suit Philadelphia Pa
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Lewis Mary D. Taylor Young Woman Hudson Massachusetts
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Bousley Young Woman Curly Hair Lace Collar Salem Mass.
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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