Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Pryor Young Woman High Collar Dress LA Crosse Wis.
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s E Dufresne Four Young Women Portraits Watertown
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Fw Mould Woman Portrait Earring LA Crosse WI
Antique Cabinet Card 1880s Ries Young Girl Portrait Lace Collar Newark OH
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Ry Nice Young Children Siblings Williamsport PA Photo
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Young Girl First Holy Communion Dress Candle Rosary
Antique Cabinet Card 1870s Handsome Bearded Man Suit Bowtie Portrait Photo
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s G W Chase Woman High Collar Dress Brooch Newark
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Gilbert & Bacon Woman Glasses Eyeglasses Phila PA
Antique Cabinet Card 1880s Lee Photographer Man Mustache Suits Phillipsburg
Antique Cabinet Card 1880s Kilborn's Handsome Man Mustache Bow Tie Cedar Rapids
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Young Woman Portrait Cameo Brooch High Collar Photo
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Latto Portrait Woman Pearl Necklace So Boston
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Naegeli Mother Baby White Dress NY NY NY
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Matthews & Humphreys Woman Spectacles Huntington W VA
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s GA Werner Young Woman High Collar Marquette MI
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Young Girl Flower Hair Band Leaning Chair Dress Photo
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Handsome Young Man Pinstripe Vest Suit Portrait
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Swap Boonville MO Two Women Floral Hats Dresses
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Hutchings Studio Victorian Family Portrait Marshall
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Post Studio Family Portrait Father Mother Baby Denver
Antique Cabinet Card 1880s West Side Gallery Two Cute Babies Sitting Denver
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Woman Striped Dress Lace Collar Locket Brooch
Antique 1890s Cabinet Card Photo F. W. Swap Two Young Women Boonville MO
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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