Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s C.d. Mosher Young Bearded Man In Suit & Bow Tie Chicago
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s H.a. Seymour Mother W/ Infant & 2 Children Jackson Mi
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Adams Seated Middle Aged Couple Formal Dress Elgin Il
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s J. Fritz Two Men Formal Three Piece Suits Reading Pa
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s C. A. Adams Young Man With Mustache In Suit Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Wolcott Middle Aged Man In Bow Tie & Coat Coldwater Mi
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Gray Young Mustached Man In Suit & Bow Tie Omaha Neb.
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Smith Bearded Middle Aged Man In Suit Peoria Illinois
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Podore & Cherney Young Couple Victorian Attire Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s W. E. Merrill. Two Young Men In Suits Ovid Michigan
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Vienna Photo Art Co. Elderly Bearded Couple Belfast
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Hugo Weitz Young Dapper Man In Dark Suit San Francisco
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Hill & Watkins Boy 4 6 In Pleated Frock San Jose Ca
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s North Side Girl In Ruffled Dress & Dog Sheboygan Wi
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Young Woman At Sewing Machine Victorian Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Mustached Young Officer In Dress Uniform Irvington Iowa
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Teen Boy In Military Uniform W/ Kepi Gloves Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Louis Bland Choirboy Surplice & Cassock Philadelphia
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Crowd Of Men & Boys In Coats At Brick Church Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Nymphenburg Palace Exterior Lakeside Wings Munich
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Three Asian Women In Period Dress Using Rice Pump Farm
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Wooding Elderly Man W/ Muttonchops & Bow Tie Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s B. Danihy Elderly Woman High Collar Dress Toledo Wash.
Cabinet Card 1890s Victorian Family Portrait Man Teen Boy Ladies Titusville 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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