Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Cabinet Card J. S. Senez Young Husband And Wife Wedding Couple Thorndike Mass.
Cabinet Card R. Tamme Relief Of Military Men Die Wacht Am Rhein Dresden Germany
Cabinet Card Young Husband And Wife Romantic Couple Man With Mustache Unmarked
Cabinet Card Wedding Husband And Wife Romantic Couple Middletown Connecticut
Cabinet Card F.L. Camps Handsome Old Bearded Man In Suit Olympia Washington
Cabinet Card Bailey Young Gorgeous Lady In White Dress Roses Rochester NY
Cabinet Card Cottage Wedding Groom & Bridge in White Dress New Britain Conn.
Cabinet Card Nelson Cute Baby In Wicker Carriage & Child Somerville Mass.
Cabinet Card Lund Cute Young Boy Tennis Player Racket Ball Brooklyn New York
Cabinet Card Large Group Men Women Children Baby Outdoor Picnic H.M.C. Waterford
Cabinet Card Hiatt Man & Three Gorgeous Young Women Chain Winchester Indiana
Cabinet Card Martin Herzfeld Young Gorgeous Lady Striped Dress Dresden Leipzig
Cabinet Card Fredricks Old Bearded Man Bishop Preist in Robes St. Paul Minnesota
Cabinet Card Farley Cute Young Boy In Suit Holding Cornet Trumpet Hat Unmarked
Cabinet Card C.M. Gilbert Gorgeous Young Lady Graduation Philadelphia Penn
Cabinet Card C.M. Bell Gorgeous Actress Lady Flowing Pleated Dress Washington
Cabinet Card Baumgardner Haunted Ghostly Girl White Dress & Bonnet Tiffin Ohio
Cabinet Card Coatsworth Cute Young Girl In Dress With Bicycle Syracuse New York
Cabinet Card Farley Group Of Handsome Young Men And Gorgeous Women Landscape
Cabinet Card Farley Three Gorgeous Young Women Victorian Ruffled Dresses
Cabinet Card Ridgway Cute Boy In Sailor Suit & Girl In Dress Portage Wisconsin
Cabinet Card Baker's Gorgeous Young Lady Actress Emma Italia Columbus Ohio
Cabinet Card Philipp Paul Handsome Young Man Mustache Smoking Altenessen Germany
Cabinet Card Clementz Young Handsome Man In Suit Checkered Bowtie Massillon 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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