Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Lewis Mary D. Taylor Young Woman Hudson Massachusetts
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Newell & Howe Infant Baby in Long Boston, Massachusetts
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s J. L. Nye Young Girl in Dark Dres Platteville, Wisconsi
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Handsome Young Man Short Hair High Collar Jack Unmarke
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Read & Sanderson Young Boy Pleated Jacket Nashua Nh
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s S. Y. Richards Woman in High Coll Danville, Pennsylvani
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s W. G. Entrekin Infant In Lace Eyelet Dress Philadelphia
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Wm. Mills & Son Woman Dark High Collar Olneyville Ri
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Walter E. Chickering Woman Holding Floral Hat Boston Ma
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s A. J. Whittemore Young child wi Rochester, New Hampshir
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Tierney Mary Catherine Douglass New Haven, Connecticut
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Baby Infant White Lace Dress Ornate Lion Chair Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s J.a. Swett Young Woman Short Curly Hair Portland Maine
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Infant Baby in Long White Ruffled Gow Unmarked Locatio
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Lott Young Girl Long Hair Lace Collar South Boston Ma
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Handsome Man Seated & Elegant Woman Standing Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Rodgers Middle Aged Man Thinning Hair Suit Hartford Ct
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Cope & Day Infant Baby White Lace Dress Norristown Pa
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Young Girl Toddler White Lace Dress Necklace Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Tiernan & Shaw Young Woman High Bun Nantasket Beach Ma
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Sutton Young Woman Lace Collar Brooch Hornellsville Ny
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Olsen Young Child In White Ruffle Dress Hartford Conn.
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s W. A. Gray. Older Woman Grey Hair D Salem, Massachusett
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Walker Handsome Young Man In Dark Suit Uxbridge 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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