Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Antique Cabinet Card 1880s Wolfe Woman Dark Corset Dress Faux Rock Grand Rapids
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Bass Photo Studio Man Mustache Frock Coat Brockton
Antique Cabinet Card 1880s E. D. Ormsby Young Girl Cameo Necklace Oakland
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s M.F. Hatton Two Young Men Suits Vincennes Ind
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s E Willard Spurr Handsome Man Mustache Decorah IA
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Pincus & Read Cute Baby Toddler Gown Rustic Wood
Antique Cabinet Card 1890sBlack Woman Gigot Sleeves Satin Collar Brooch Portrait
Antique Cabinet Card 1880s Lerue Lemer Young Child White Dress Harrisburg PA
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s A Lane Cute Toddler Babies White Gowns Pike NY
Antique Cabinet Card 1880s Evans Portrait Man Long Beard Suit Binghamton NY
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Sterling Studio Handsome Man Mustache Suit Seattle
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s P Nybo Baby Infant Fur Lined Wicker Chair Perth Amboy
Antique Cabinet Card 1880s Furman Handsome Man Striped Tie Rochester NY Photo
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Brodie & Pickerill Baby Infant Wicker Chair Dress
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Young Woman Floral Corsage Puff Sleeves Portrait
Antique Cabinet Card 1880s Mcintyre Senior Gentleman Beard Suit Bowtie Putnam
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Ij Neagley Man Bowler Hat Umbrella Millersburg PA
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Photographe Gabrielian Bearded Man Portrait Suit
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Johnson Two Young Men Suits Fireplace Waupun Wis.
Antique 1890s Strunk Cabinet Card Baby Dress Wicker Chair Reading PA
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Toddler Girl Lace Dress Cross Necklace Fringed Chair
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Cottage Studio Handsome Man Mustache Suit New Britain
Antique Cabinet Card 1880s Buttorff Ellsworth Wells Standing Man Coat York PA
Antique Cabinet Card 1900s Wolfe Studio Sisters Sarah Elizabeth White Dresses
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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