Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Three Siblings Girls in Matching Striped Dres Unmarke
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Wright Justina Schneider Age 16 San Jose California
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s H. A. Feiker. Woman In Dark Pleated Dress Milwaukee Wi
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Work. Young Woman In Dark Victorian Dress Andover Ohio
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Everitt Young Child Toddler Lace Col Marquette, Michiga
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s John D. Lemer Young Woman Curly Hair Harrisburg Penn.
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Henry Frey Boy And Girl Siblings Scranton Pennsylvania
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Miller Two Young Girls in White L Minneapolis, Minnesot
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Middle Aged Bearded Man In Dark Suit Seated Nashua Nh
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s M. J. Bixby Aged Bearded Teacher In Suit Castleton Vt.
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Handsome Man Thick Mustache Dark Suit Bowtie Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Taylor & Son Elderly woman with curl Amsterdam, NY
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Louis Blaul Handsome Man Mustache Bowtie Philadelphia
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Elderly Man White Beard Suit Wyckoff Rofflye Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Heald & Co. Man Mustache Three Piece Suit Providence Ri
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Pullin Grandfather Schmidt Old Man Philadelphia, PA
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s F.r. Rice Victorian Couple Man Mustache Worcester Mass
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Fredricks Dapper Man Mustache Striped Suit New York Ny
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Jed Brown Woman in Dark Dress with Whi Unmarked Locatio
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s J.w. Beeson Handsome Man Mustache Suit Dixon Illinois
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s J.a. Brush Handsome Man Mustache Suit Minneapolis Minn.
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s O'neil Handsome Man Wavy Hair Mustache New Bedford Ma
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s A. G. Wheeler Girl Plaid Vest Ornate Railing Goshen Ny
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s J. Dougherty Man Goatee Suit Watch Chain Bucyrus 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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