Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Antique Cabinet Card Honor Thy Father & Mother Mother Son Religious Artwork
Antique Cabinet Card F L Hammond Handsome Young Man Plaid Tie Suit Lewiston me
Antique Cabinet Card Burdick Young Man High Collar Polka Dot Tie Lansing MI
Antique Cabinet Card Rogers Young Man Pinstripe Suit Necktie Waynesburg PA
Antique Cabinet Card Ignatz Julius Man Sideburns Bowtie Suit Hamburg Germany
Antique Cabinet Card Wade Son Man Star Pattern Tie Mustache Franklinville NY
Antique Cabinet Card Abbott Law Young Woman High Collar Little Little Falls NY
Antique Cabinet Card H F Alley Mustache Man Suit Beverly Beverly MA MA
Antique Cabinet Card Stacy Handsome Mustache Man Suit Bowtie Portrait Rahway NJ
Antique Cabinet Card Churchill Baby White Dress Wicker Chair Franklinville NY
Antique Cabinet Card Geo RauBlack Woman Standing Victorian Corset Philadelphia
Antique Cabinet Card Silkworth Young Handsome Man Suit Tie Portrait Brooklyn NY
Antique Cabinet Card Mccabe Young Woman Curly Hair Soutache Dress Easton PA
Antique Cabinet Card Reed Seated Elderly Victorian Woman Black Dress Armchair
Antique Cabinet Card Miller Smith Woman Lace Collar St Louis Alma Petoskey MI
Antique Cabinet Card Meinwerth Woman Ruffled High Collar Dress Cohoes NY
Antique Cabinet Card Saylors Woman Lace Collar Brooch Photograph Reading PA
Antique Cabinet Card Rootzien Handsome Young Man Suit Tie Argos in Argos in
Antique Cabinet Card Swem Handsome Man Mustache Tie Pin St. St. Paul Minn MN
Antique Cabinet Card NY Gallery Bearded Gentleman Bowtie Reading PA
Antique Cabinet Card Patton & Dietrich Man Long Beard Suit Portrait Reading PA
Antique Cabinet Card Corell Handsome Man Mustache Pattern Tie Eldred PA
Antique Cabinet Card Winsor Photo Children Wicker Bench Fur Rug Olean NY
Antique Cabinet Card WalkerBlack Woman Victorian High Neck Dress Brooch
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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