Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s 6 Young Women In White Victorian Dresses
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Finehout A. G. Mcelroy Young Woman Profile Flushing Ny
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Sonnenberg Young Man Tophat Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Wm. Mills & Son Handsome Man Ornate Masq Providence RI
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s C.H. Whitten Girl In Lace Dress & Flowers Ornate
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Fearl Couple Woman Man Mustache Winnipeg Canada
Cabinet Card Wendt Horvath Midgets Hungarian Worlds Smallest Midgets Boonton NJ
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Redington Woman & Six Children Birmingham Alabama
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Cross Woman In Long Dress On Boulders Hot Springs S.D.
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Twin Ladies In Dark Victorian Pleated Dresses Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s W. B. Pickett. Young Man In Suit High Collar Raton NM
Cabinet Card Circa 1890 Hallia A. Bell 4 Year Old Girl Holding Doll Lace Apron
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Roy Haaf Funeral Memorial Card In Loving Remembrance
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s H. F. Wendell Mrs. George Steig Memorial Leipsic Ohio
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Memorial Card Mrs. Caroline Baker Aged 74 Mourning
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Memorial Mrs. Caroline Baker Aged 74 Mourning
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Boy Large Lace Collar Baby Wicker Carriage Dog Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Frank Wendt Mile Coretta Midget Long Dress Boonton NJ
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Pettigrew & Amos Two Men In Uniform Edinburgh Scotland
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Q. M. J. Ramsey Man In Top Hat & Overcoat Gallatin Mo
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Smiths Young Man In Military Uniform Sword Crete Neb.
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s E. A. Leach Edith Louise Ballard Baby McCook Nebraska
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Toddler & Infant In Large Wicker Baby Carriage Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Harvey Handsome Man Mustache Suit Fredericton NB Canada
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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