Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Infant In White Dress With Rabbit Unmarked Location
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Family Bearded Father Mother & Teen Son Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Nast Antique Infant In White Ruffled Gown Denver Colo.
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Cheney Girl In Dark Dress White Collar Hat Lansing Mi
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Jacob Howell Elderly Woman & 2 Girls Vict. Jackson Mi
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Infant In White Christening Gown Lace Trim Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Post. Young Girl Age 8 Lace Collar & Bow Denver Co
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Kerchner Family W/ 2 Young Children Washington Ia
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s ... Mother & 4 Children Victorian Clothing Denver Co
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Swanson Young Woman High Collar Dress & Bow Denver Co
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Cookingham Young Woman Lace High Neck Dress Jackson Mi
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Hoff Seated Infant In Dress & Lace Collar Denison Iowa
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Victorian Toddler Girl In Dress & Necklace Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Rogers Young Boy In Suit Large Bow Tie Wichita Kansas
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Seymour Woman Portrait Dark Dress & Corsage Jackson Mi
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Beebe Infant In White Christening Gown Denver Colorado
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Nast Toddler Boy In Sailor Suit Portrait Denver Co
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Phillips Young Girl Long Hair Cross Lafayette In
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Art Portrait Enlarging Hse Young Woman High Collar Ny
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Beebe Older Woman Lace Collar & Brooch Denver Colo.
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Chas. A. Dechenka Elderly Formal Couple Emmetsburg Iowa
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Young Man Teen In Suit Bow Tie Formal Portrait Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Harman Brown Two Young Children Sailor & Dress Kc Ks
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Scholten Baby In Lace White Dress Seated St. Louis Mo
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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