Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Cabinet Card G. E. Schwab Cute Young Girl With Doll Carriage Tuscarawas Ohio
Cabinet Card Lake Young Indian Wars Soldier Band Music Clarinet Tobias Nebraska
Cabinet Card Luckhaus Newspaper Reporters Taking Notes New South Bend Indiana
Cabinet Card Handsome Catholic Bishop Mcmahon Pectoral Cross Hartford Conn.
Cabinet Card Henry Levin Victorian Cute Young Girl With Doll Chicago Illinois
Cabinet Card Handsome C.S.R.S. Fessenden Sailor in Uniform Wearing Cap
Cabinet Card Three Men Storefront Balz & Ambos Baker Storefront Medina Ohio
Cabinet Card Stallman Photo Novelties Cute Young Boy With Bicycle Chicago ILL.
Cabinet Card Archer Victorian Family With Dog Man With Mustache Plain City Ohio
Cabinet Card Man With Mustache Two Women Adam Hamm Tailoring Shop Medina Ohio
Cabinet Card H. Pfaff Equestrian Statue George Washington Allegheny Pennsylvania
Cabinet Card Donovan Handsome Chauncey Olcott Irish Tenor Top Hat New York NY
Cabinet Card Lorin E. Miller Gorgeous Young Lady Jump Roping Alliance Ohio
Cabinet Card 1896 Independence Hall Souvenir Photo Sam'l Reeves Rising Sun Chair
Cabinet Card Adolph Fischer Three Men In Suits With Beer Steins Weida Germany
Cabinet Card Whips Cute Girl With Doll & Baby In White Dresses Philadelphia Pa
Cabinet Card Memorial Funeral Bishop Bradley Religious Vestments Pectoral Cross
Cabinet Card J. F. Rank Cute Boy In Dress Wearing Hat On Tricycle Van Wert Ohio
Cabinet Card St. Ambrose Seminary College Class Philippians 3:14 Decorah Iowa
Cabinet Card G. H. Sterling Memorial Funeral Floral Wreaths West Bay City Wis.
Cabinet Card B.w. Lindley Interior Shed Workshop Ice Box Bicycle Greenville
Cabinet Card Cute African American Baby In Long White Lace Dress Wicker Chair
Cabinet Card Newsboy Harriett Vernon Gorgeous Lady Actor New York NY
Cabinet Card Pifer & Becker African America Girl In Dress Flowers Cleveland Ohio
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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