Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Lee Young Man Suit Tie Phillipsburg NJ Portrait
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Lyman & Mack Handsome Young Man Suit Shenandoah PA
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Stafford Studio Handsome Man Mustache Suit Chicago
Antique Cabinet Card 1880s Howard Elderly Man Sideburns Suit Fitchburg
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Steinman Young Man Suit Tie Philadelphia PA Photo
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s E. C. Mote Handsome Young Man Suit Greenville OH
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Young Children Brother Sister Boy Dark Bow Dress
Antique Cabinet Card 1894 Sparrow Older Woman Dark Dress Phoenix NY Oswego
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Emil Babka Baby White Lace Dress Spaulding Chicago
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s James Woman High Collar Blouse Portrait NY NY
Antique Cabinet Card 1880s Macnabb Portrait Young Woman Curly Hair NY NY
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Wr CallBlack Woman Portrait Lace Collar Manchester
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Woman Glasses Spectacles Jewelry Bridgeton
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Knowlton Bros Young Woman Portrait Northampton Mass
Antique Cabinet Card 1880s Potter & CO Man Glasses Beard Double Breasted Coat PA
Antique Cabinet Card 1880s A P Drew Portrait VictorianBlack Woman Dover
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Schaffer Man Patterned Tie Mustache Poughkeepsie NY
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s W S Davis Young Man Suit Pocket Square Ellenville NY
Antique Cabinet Card 1880s Lee Portrait Victorian Woman Scarf Phillipsburg
Antique Cabinet Card 1880s Woman Curly Hair Pearl Earring Bridgeton NJ Photo
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s J. S. Davis Woman Patterned Necktie Worcester
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s B. Etter Woman High Collar Brooch Great Falls
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Lewis Woman Cross Necklace Ruffled Collar Ellenville NY
Antique Cabinet Card 1890s Belgravia Studio Young Man Suit Bowtie Putney Hill UK
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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