Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Antique Cabinet Card 1880s W.H. Towne Man Mustache Suit Tie Troy NY Portrait
Antique Cabinet Card 1880s Handsome Young Man Mustache Striped Suit Jacket
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Johnson Young Woman High Collar Dress Waupun Wisc
Antique Cabinet Card 1880s Young Woman Elaborate Braided Hairstyle Lace Collar
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Root Baby Infancy Long Gown Monmouth Ills IL
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Brown Woman Profile Wavy Hair Earring Marshalltown
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Oscar Olsson Gentleman Mustache Vest Ostersund Sweden
Antique 1890s Cabinet Card C. Rosen Woman Spotted Blouse Portrait Stockholm
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s J.E. Bilbrough Woman Lace Collar Brooch Dubuque
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Brannan Mother & Child Portrait Athens OH Photo
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s J.P. Abents Studio Young Boy Girl Lineville IA
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Hastings Woman Profile Lace Collar Boston MA Newport
Antique Cabinet Card 1880s Perkins & CO Bearded Man Suit Grand Rapids Mich.
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Elderly Man Cane Straw Hat Sitting Outdoors Chair
Antique Cabinet Card 1880s Lloyd Elderly Man Goatee Bowtie Suit Troy NY
Antique Cabinet Card 1880s Lloyd Handsome Man Mustache Plaid Tie Troy NY
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Lloyd Handsome Man Mustache Suit Troy NY
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Clark Louisa Woman High Collar Rushville IL
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Willard Bond Woman High Collar Dress Ft Madison
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Gesman & Heiny Woman Dark Dress Cape Knoxville IA
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Baby Toddler Sitting Wood Chair White Lace Dress
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Rohner's Studio Baby White Dress Wicker Chair Carroll
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Root Young Woman Bust Portrait Monmouth Ill IL
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s E B Nock Baby in Long Gown Lulu Little Cleveland OH
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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