Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Antique Cabinet Card Ranger & Hazer Profile Young Woman Portrait Syracuse NY
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Antique Cabinet Card Snow Handsome Young Man Striped Tie Suit Zumbrota Minn
Antique Cabinet Card L. Burno Man Intense Eyes Mustache Suit Little Sioux IA
Antique Cabinet Card W E Sherwood Young Man Striped Tie Suit New Berlin NY
Antique Cabinet Card Jc Steinman Man Chin Beard Bowtie Portrait Philadelphia PA
Antique Cabinet Card Cobb Elderly Woman Spectacles Glasses Binghamton NY
Antique Cabinet Card F Gordon Jr Handsome Man Mustache Suit Darlington Wis
Antique Cabinet Card W. W. Brown Boy Seated Plush Chair Sister Concord NH
Antique Cabinet Card L Burno Man Mustache Intense Eyes Suit Little Sioux IA
Antique Cabinet Card W. S. Bentley Woman Lace Collar Valparaiso Valparaiso in in
Antique Cabinet Card F.D. Lewis Woman Glasses Pearl Choker Portrait Kingston NY
Antique Cabinet Card W. D. Fay Couple Standing Woman Seated Man Joliet Joliet IL
Antique Cabinet Card M.M. Mudge Woman Curly Fringe Dark Dress Valparaiso Ind
Antique Cabinet Card J D Wolbach Elderly Woman Oval Vignette Wadsworth OH
Antique Cabinet Card M.M. Mudge Young Child Ringlet Curls Valparaiso Ind
Antique Cabinet Card Wm Beatty Young Woman Curly Hair Sigourney Sigourney IA
Antique Cabinet Card Adams Son Woman Lace Collar Vignette Photo Cleveland OH
Antique Cabinet Card C A Park Portrait Young Woman Pleated Dress Norwalk OH
Antique Cabinet Card W B WestonBlack Woman Pince-Nez Glasses Hair Ribbon
Antique Cabinet Card Hill Cute Toddler Child Charles Russell Elizabeth NJ
Antique Cabinet Card A. H. Mottinger Woman Collar Brooch Plainfield IL
Antique Cabinet Card Oswald Bros Man Mustache Suit Watch Chain Minneapolis MN
Antique Cabinet Card E H Berlin Woman Curly Hair High Collar Blairsville 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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