Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Antique Cabinet Card Star Gallery Reeder Baby White Gown Floral Clay Center KS
Antique Cabinet Card Morris Young Woman Choker Necklace Lawrence KS
Antique Cabinet Card Otto Pearce Young Woman Full Length Dress Pratt KS
Antique Cabinet Card Geo. Downing Woman Cross Brooch Deformed Jaw Topeka KS
Antique Cabinet Card Hamilton Toddler Standing White Lace Gown Lawrence KS
Antique Cabinet Card Morris Victorian Married Couple Portrait Lawrence Mass
Antique Cabinet Card D.B. Doty Standing Woman Long Dress Grenola KS
Antique Cabinet Card John Christoph Young Man Suit Tie Pin Ellinwood KS
Antique Cabinet Card Lake Family Portrait Parents Children Studio Erie Kans
Antique Cabinet Card Thomson Handsome Man Mustache Suit Bowtie KS City MO
Antique Cabinet Card Wright Young Man Suit Top Hat Garden Gate Ottawa KS
Antique Cabinet Card Geo. Aldridge Young Man Suit Vest Pocket Watch Topeka KS
Antique Cabinet Card Ostlund Man Mustache Three Piece Suit Watch Chain Axtell KS
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s H.F. Wendell Ornate Memorial J.B. Massey Sr. Leipsic Oh
Antique Cabinet Card Portrait Woman Puffed Sleeves Lace Bodice Ornate Settee
Antique Cabinet Card Baby in Wicker Pram Stroller Buggy Patterned Backdrop
Antique Cabinet Card C B Proctor Stylish Woman Elaborate Hat Fur Indianola IA
Antique Cabinet Card Morhiser Married Couple Lace Dress Dubuque IA
Antique Cabinet Card Banning Woman Puffy Leg O Mutton Sleeves
Antique Cabinet Card Lee Large Family Group Portrait Scalloped Danville PA
Antique Cabinet Card Banning Young Girl Ringlets Plaid Dress St. Joseph MO
Antique Cabinet Card Emil Wangemann Cityscape River Bridge View Passau Germany
Antique Cabinet Card Anselm Schmitz Cologne Cathedral Dom Sudseite Coeln
Antique Cabinet Card Roth Large Extended Family Group Portrait Catasauqua PA
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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