Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Karl Recknagel Elderly Couple Man Beard Woman Boston Ma
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Morton Man With Thick Mustache Providence Rhode Island
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Mother Daughter Curly Hair Lace Collar Plaid Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Gilbert & Bacon Bearded Man Suit Tie Philadelphia Pa
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Middle Aged Man Mustache Dark Suit Pattern Tie Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Fontaine Girl First Communion Veil Lowell Massachusetts
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s C.m. Litchfield Handsome Man With Mustache Boston Ma
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s N. J. Morse Woman Curly Hair Glasses Birmingham Conn.
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Bates & Nye Handsome Man With Mustache Denver Colorado
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Fontaine Girl in First Communion d Lowell, Massachusett
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Fontaine Handsome Young Man Mustache Suit Lowell Mass.
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Bates & Pye Man With Thick Mustache Denver Colorado
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Walsh Older Seated Couple In Victorian Dress Trenton Nj
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Family Father Mother & Infant In White Dress Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Guiwits & Cameron Girl Lace Dress Richfield Springs Ny
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Harry A. Webb Man David Bauman Correspondent Phila Pa
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Ailes Young Girl Long Hair Dark Dress Cobleskill Ny
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s William Jessen Middle Aged Man Goatee Suit Brooklyn Ny
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Chicago Gallery 3 Ballard Girls Joseph Lincoln, Nebrask
Cabinet Card Circa 1891 Hamilton Maybelle C Hill 9-year-old gi Buffalo, New Yor
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Smith Young Woman in Dark Puffed Sleeve Crete, Nebraska
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s A. J. Nowell Older Man & Woman Stoneham Massachusetts
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s W. L. Hall Dr. Erastus Wilson Mustache Belfast Maine
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Machette Young Child Short Hair Dark Jacket Scranton Pa
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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