Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s F. W. Swap Young Woman Puff Sleeves Boonville MO
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Central Photo Parlors Father Daughter Denver CO
Antique Cabinet Card 1880s Swap Photographer Woman Horseshoe Earrings Boonville
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s O H Burdick Boy Sitting Wicker Chair Flandreau
Antique Cabinet Card 1880s Portrait Gentleman Beard Bow Tie Suit Dark Mount
Antique Cabinet Card 1880s Campbell & CO Woman High Collar Dress Richmond
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s VA Art Studio Mature Woman Richmond
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Hildenbrand & Traunecker Woman Portrait Stuttgart
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s B Korn Bride Groom Wedding Portrait Cleveland OH
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Metropolitan Studio Toddler Boy Suit Hat Portland
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s W E Service Woman Jane Yarman Bridgeton
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Colpitts & CO Young Girl Bow Collar Portland
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s A M Bean Handsome Man Mustache Tie Lawrence Mass
Antique Cabinet Card 1880s Davis Elderly Woman White Bonnet Brooch Richmond
Antique Cabinet Card 1880s Grotecloss Man Mustache Vest Bow Tie NY NY
Antique Cabinet Card 1880s Campbell & CO Woman Lace Collar Richmond
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Genelli Gallery Handsome Man Mustache Sioux City
Antique Cabinet Card 1880s Gw Freeman Woman Lace Collar Charlestown Mass Photo
Antique Cabinet Card 1870s Bostwick Woman Hand Tinted Blue Eyes NY NY
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Lamson Baby Long Gown Chain Necklace Portland
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Kneis Baby Marjory Andrus Long Dress Tonawanada NY
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s A M Bean Young Woman Portrait Lawrence Mass Bust
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Lewis Art Studio Young Woman Lace Collar Amboy
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Young Boy & Baby Sitting Chair Myerstown PA Photo
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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