Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Swanson Infant Girl In White Gown Central City Colo.
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Conly Young Man Early 20s Textured Suit Boston Ma
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Laurent Young Man Bow Tie Suit Worcester Massachusetts
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Weston Young Woman Profile High Collar Dress Bangor Me
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Mich Photo Co. Young Woman W/ Glasses Bow Chelsea Mi
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Young Man Age 20 Victorian Formal Suit & Ascot Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Young Woman High Collar Dress Portrait Spokane Wa
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s P. J. Ross Young Woman Looped Collar Tipton Missouri
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Nelson Bros. Young Woman High Collar St Paul Minn.
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s J.k. Stevens Mature Woman White Collar Chicago Il
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s J. K. Stevens Young Woman Lace High Collar Chicago Il
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s L.t. Newell & Co. Young Boy Portrait Portsmouth Nh
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s E. M. White Toddler Girl In White Lace Gown Keene Nh
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Louis Harris Woman In Puff Sleeve Dress & Capelet Ny
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Avery Older Woman With Spectacles Dress Worcester Ma
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s W. A. Webster 3 Children Sailor Suit Waltham Mass.
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Fredricks Woman In Lace Dress High Collar New York Ny
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Couple Man With Goblet & Woman Lace Collar Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s C. Jessen Young Man Dark Suit High Collar Providence Ri
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Perkinson Young Woman High Collar Dress New York Ny
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Perkinson Elderly Man In Suit & Tie Beard New York Ny
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s The Imperial Young Woman Ruffled High Collar Boston Ma
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Moore Two Young Women Victorian High Collar Warsaw Mo
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s J. D. Lemer Young Man 20s Suit & Cravat Harrisburg 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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