Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Antique Cabinet Card Serious Victorian Young Woman High Collar Patterned Jabot
Antique Cabinet Card W H Fisher Photo Young Woman Updo Pink Mount Lehighton PA
Antique Cabinet Card Portrait Married Couple Husband Mustache Wife Lace Blouse
Antique Cabinet Card M L Armstrong Man Walrus Mustache Photo Watertown Mass
Antique Cabinet Card J. F. Frank Woman Large Buttons High Collar Van Wert OH
Antique Cabinet Card Roshon Young Woman Collar Brooch Lebanon PA Morristown NJ
Antique Cabinet Card Thos. B. Cowan Bald Bearded Man Bowtie Jeannette PA
Antique Cabinet Card Eisenhardt Woman Choker Necklace Scallop Edge Detroit Mich
Antique Cabinet Card Smith Woman High Collar Button Dress Lykens Williamstown PA
Antique Cabinet Card Rockstead Young Woman Braid Hair Bow Rockford Ill
Antique Cabinet Card Decker Routh Baby White Christening Gown Centralia Kans
Antique Cabinet Card Chandler Woman Curly Hair Ruffle Collar St St Albans VT
Antique Cabinet Card Smith Schultz Young Woman Vignette Portrait Zanesville OH
Antique Cabinet Card Ground Floor Studio Ella Abbott Glasses Portrait Concord NH
Antique Cabinet Card Fredricks Mustachioed Balding Man Suit 770 Broadway NY
Antique Cabinet Card Fredricks Young Woman Puffy Sleeve Dress Broadway NY
Antique Cabinet Card Billups Handsome Moustachioed Man Suit Jeannette PA
Antique Cabinet Card Drew & Boomer Man Mustache Suit Bracewell Block Dover NH
Antique Cabinet Card Fredricks Young Woman High Collar Beaded Dress New NY NY
Antique Cabinet Card Root Young Woman Puffed Sleeves Scalloped Cambridge Ill
Antique Cabinet Card Muntz & Pack Married Couple Man Beard Woman Zanesville OH
Antique Cabinet Card NY Gallery Young Man Suit Pocket Chain Reading PA
Antique Cabinet Card Perkinson Young Man Suit Tie NY & NY & Newark NJ
Antique Cabinet Card Broadbent Phillips Bearded Man Eyeglasses Philadelphia 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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