Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s B.s. Furness Man Large Mustache Bowtie Moberly Mo
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Hyde Handsome Man With Mustache Suit Manchester Iowa
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Girl In Wicker Chair With Book & Boy In Bow Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s D.b. Chase Handsome Man Thick Mustache Denver Colorado
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s D. Cumming Simpson Woman & Twins Dunfermline Scotland
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s S. H. Hopkins. Infant Child Lace Dress Junction City Ks
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s A. Smith Victorian Woman & Baby Gown Crete Nebraska
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s A. Forsander Smiling Man Woman Baby Negaunee Michigan
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s W. S. Evans Gertrude & Frank Baby Hiawatha Kansas
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Smith Young Woman Dark Dress Umbrella Crete Nebraska
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s A. Ruth Graham Elegant Woman In Large Hat Altrincham
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Cobb & Locke Woman Lace Collar Phillipsburg Kansas
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Graham Young Man with Spectacles & Sui Trenton, Missour
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Chas. Lainer Handsome Man Mustache San Francisco Cal.
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s W. B. King Kealie Barkdoll Young Wo Hagerstown, Marylan
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s A. Martin Handsome Man Mustache Profile Suit Denver Co
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Large Family Group House Sheep Rural Farmstead Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Holbrook & Hulverson Family Men Women Children Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Large Group Women Outdoor Picnic Ada Holbrook
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Two Large Victorian Houses Windmill Evergreen
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s W. J. Bell Hydraulic Canal lo Sault Ste. Marie Michigan
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Large Group Band On Opera House Balcony General Store
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Men In General Store Interior Stove Mulliken Michigan
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s J. A. Foster Woman Dark Dress Lace Scarf Adrian Mich.
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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