Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Cabinet Card Boyd Two Young Couples Flower Crowns Gorgeous Women Cleveland Ohio
Cabinet Card G.F. Thurston Two Young Handsome Men Wearing Hats Whitefield NH
Cabinet Card Clementz Handsome Young Man Suit Checkered Bow Tie Massillon Ohio
Cabinet Card Morris Handsome Man With Mustache In Suit Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
Cabinet Card Benjamin Handsome Old Bearded Man In Suit Delphi Indiana Portrait
Cabinet Card Alexander & Littler Cute Baby In White Dress Doll Muncie Indiana
Cabinet Card C. Anson Goodhart Two Couples On Rustic Bridge Shippensburg Pa
Cabinet Card Wedding Young Husband And Wife Romantic Couple Phillipsburg Kansas
Cabinet Card Haymes Old Man Coal Agency Israel & Son Mount Vernon Ohio
Cabinet Card C. Enson Goodhart Two Men In Prop Boat Oar Shippensburg Pa
Cabinet Card R. Holyland Cute Girl In Dress & Boy In Suit Baltimore Maryland
Cabinet Card Otto Linke Young Handsome Priest Father John Schiltz Milwaukee
Cabinet Card Lease Two Handsome Young Men Suits Tall Boots Hudson Indiana
Cabinet Card Anschuetz Young Gorgeous Lady In Lace Dress Boscobel Wisconsin
Memorial Cabinet Card Handsome Young Priest Rev. Father John A. Dooley in Robes
Cabinet Card Rommler & Jonas Otto Von Bismarck Monument Bust Dresden Germany
Cabinet Card Geschw. Becker Street Scene Godesburg Castle Konigswinter Germany
Cabinet Card Smith Young Handsome Man & Man With Mustache Mckrew Auburn Nebraska
Cabinet Card Chiesa Della Nunziata Basilica Architecture Genoa Italy
Cabinet Card Strunk Gorgeous Young Lady High Collar Dress Reading Pennsylvania
Cabinet Card King Gorgeous Lady With Glasses In Pleated Dress Hagerstown MD
Cabinet Card F. G. O. Stuart Bank Of England Architecture London England
Cabinet Card Bell Tower Stone Gothic Church Architecture Cross Trees Unmarked
Cabinet Card Cendre Handsome Man With Mustache Suit Pottstown Pennsylvania
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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