Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s R.B. Lewis Older Balding Man Dark Hudson, Massachusetts
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Bellsmith Older Man White Beard Glasses Denver, Colorad
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s G.w. High Seated Man In Dark Suit & Bow Tie Reading Pa
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s H. J. Strong Handsome Man Mustache Suit Toronto Ontario
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Thorpe Young Boy In Sailor Suit & Cap Oshkosh Wisconsin
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Chauncey L. Moore Man Mustache Goatee Springfield Ma
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Fontaine Man Mustache Double Breasted Coat Lowell Mass
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Denver Photo Handsome Man Handlebar Mustache Denver Co
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Latto Elderly Woman Wearing South Boston, Massachusetts
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Anderson Older Man Dark Suit Bow Tie Haverhill Mass.
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Fontaine Girl & Boy in First Commu Lowell, Massachusett
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s J. S. Shoemaker Mabel a young girl i Pierceton, Indian
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Schleuter Distinguished Man Full White Beard Dubuque Ia
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Brown Young Woman Ruffled Feather Collar Sterling Ill.
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Handsome Man with Thick Mustache in Tweed Jack Unmarke
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Post Wedding Couple Man Suit Woman Veil Denver Colorado
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Thos. Mills Dapper Man Mustache Suit Bowler Peoria Il
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Mrs. Frida Petterson White Ruffled Dress Unmarked Loc.
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s F. E. Post. Handsome Young Man in Plaid Denver, Colorad
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s F.a. Ley Elderly Woman Dark Ruffle Dress Placerville Ca
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Chase Young Boy Frank Wells Velvet Bow Hiawatha Kansas
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s L.m. Melander & Bro. Wedding Couple Chicago Illinois
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s L. L. Roberts. Distinguished middle-a Erie, Pennsylvani
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Clements Grandfather Seaver a man with Denver, Colorad
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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