Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Cabinet Card Hartz Handsome Young Man In Suit & Patterned Bow Tie Cumberland MD
Cabinet Card B.W.T. Phreaner Handsome Man Mustache Light Suit Hagerstown MD
Cabinet Card H. T. Slaughenhaupt Husband And Wife Wearing Gloves Littlestown PA
Cabinet Card T. G. Smith Husband And Wife Romantic Couple Bearded Man Landscape
Cabinet Card King Old Handsome Bearded Man Suit Bowtie Hagerstown Maryland
Cabinet Card Parker Unusual Young Boy Next to Pair of Boots Syracuse New York
Cabinet Card J. N. Greene Young Gorgeous Lady Blanche Sterling Illinois
Cabinet Card Old Woman Holding Cute Girl In White Dress Outdoor Bath England
Cabinet Card L. Bresslmair Post Mortem Child Flowers Candles Meran Italy
Cabinet Card King Victorian Floral Arrangement Memorial Hagerstown Maryland
Cabinet Card Two Gorgeous Young Women In Patterned Victorian Dresses Hand-Tinted
Cabinet Card W. B. King Cute Boy In Dress Reading Book Hagerstown Maryland
1885 Cabinet Card P.T. Barnum Showman Circus Portrait Signed Autographed NY
Cabinet Card Richardson Floral Memorial Funeral Young Lady Nora E Liverpool OH
Cabinet Card Snook Memorial Floral Wreaths Portraits Man And Woman Akron Ohio
Cabinet Card E.W. Cook Man In Front Of Large Victorian House Albany New York
Cabinet Card Rossiter 3 Cute Young Girls Holding Hands St. Ansgar Iowa
Cabinet Card Hewitt Handsome Man And Two Young Women Holding Hands Salem Ohio
Cabinet Card J.F. Ryder Richard Gilmour Catholic Bishop of Cleveland Christian
Cabinet Card A. C. Falor Cute Young Girl & Boy In Prop Boat Hats Berea Ohio
Cabinet Card Guest Cute Young Girl Flower In Dress & Boy In Suit Canton Ohio
Cabinet Card Monfort And Hill Four Identified Gorgeous Ladies Burlington Iowa
Cabinet Card H. W. Osgood Three Generations Of Church Pittsfield New Hampshire
Cabinet Card Young Lady Maggie Crabtree in Dress Puffed Sleeves Unmarked
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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