Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Antique Cabinet Card 1880s Ludwig Schill Man Handlebar Mustache Newark
Antique Cabinet Card 1884 Herman Buchholz Woman Bustle Dress Springfield
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Woman Standing Outside Wooden Siding House Photo
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Knight Baby Long Gown Lace Trim New Britain
Antique Cabinet Card 1880s Am Cheney Young Girl Lace Collar Flowers Lansing
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Sitting Husband Standing Wife Dark Dresses Portrait
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Schmidt Baby Toddler White Gown Dress Council Bluffs
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Root Baby Long White Gown Flowing Dress Monmouth Ills
Antique Cabinet Card 1880s Family Group Portrait Parents Children Baby Studio
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s C. B. Colburn Couple Victorian Attire Belding Mich
Antique Cabinet Card 1880s Walker Woman Reading Book Dress Philadelphia PA
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Lloyd Young Man Striped Tie Collar Troy NY
Antique Cabinet Card 1880s Mrs PierceBlack Woman Long Dark Bustle Dress Tassel
Antique Cabinet Card 1880s Bushby Victorian Woman Curly Hair Jewelry Boston
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Jackson Young Boy Kilt Sailor Jacket Owego NY Photo
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Henry A Pieper Woman Lace Collar Troy NY
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s C. F. Mulette Mother Children Hinsdale Mass Photo
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Steele Bros Cute Baby White Lace Dress Waukon IA
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s L Parker Ogden Woman Curly Hair Bow Collar Pittsfield
Antique Cabinet Card 1890 Arthur Glines Little Girl White Dress Boston
Antique Cabinet Card 1880s Knowlton Bros Young Boy Plaid Bow Tie Westfield
Antique Cabinet Card 1880s G. C. Robinson Toddler Girl Dress Lynn Mass Studio
Antique Cabinet Card 1880s Lloyd Elderly Man Full Beard Suit Troy NY
Antique Cabinet Card 1880s J M Arnout Young Man Sideburns Troy NY Photograph
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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