Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Staub Bearded Balding Man Portrait Easton PA
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Renggly Moustachioed Man Tie Pin LA Crosse WI
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Renggly Mustache Man Striped Tie LA Crosse Wis
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1890s J. M. Jenks Man Mustache Suit Toronto OH
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1890s M. Wolfe Bearded Man Eyeglasses Suit Dayton OH
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Charles A Rutter Victorian Woman York PA
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Hotchkiss Woman Puffed Sleeves Photo Norwich NY
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Hafer Young Girl Curly Bangs Long Hair Troy OH
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Wilhelmi Young Woman Vignette Urbana OH
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Baumgardner Young Woman Portrait Springfield OH
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1880s DE Voe Bearded Father Young Daughter Urbana OH
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Hw Calendar Bearded Man Woman Springfield OH
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Powelson Woman Victorian Lace Collar Buffalo NY
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Eloquist Fashionable Woman Fur Trim Peoria IL
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Theo Endean Woman Portrait Drop Cleveland OH
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Pifer & Becker Profile Girl Cleveland OH
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Baby in Long Christening Gown Gown On Carved
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Weeks Studio Young Boy Lace Litchfield Minn
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Burdette Handsome Man Suit Striped Tie Portrait
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Klein Two Victorian Women Fashion Milwaukee WI
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Jw Goetz Victorian Standing Woman West Bend Wis
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Dittmar Well Dressed Couple Posed Milwaukee WI
Antique Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Snow Woman Curly Hair Lace Collar Zumbrota Minn
Antique Cabinet Card Prescher Married Couple Portrait Milwaukee Milwaukee WI
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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