Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Cabinet Card J.D. Gress & Co. Cute Children Dog Tricycle Upper Sandusky Ohio
Cabinet Card Newsboy Actress Lillian Russell Gorgeous Victorian Lady New York NY
Cabinet Card Pfaffle Gorgeous Young Lady In Victorian Dress Hat Minonk Illinois
Cabinet Card Lane Young Lady Laying In Hammock Rising City Rapid City Nebraska
Cabinet Card Rose & Co. Four Young Ladies In Victorian Dresses & Hats Denver CO.
Cabinet Card Krumhar & Stiles Handsome Man In Clerical Robes Cleveland Ohio
Cabinet Card Circa Cute Baby in Ornate Wicker Carriage with Parasol LA Unmarke
Cabinet Card Rose & Co. Four Young Women In Victorian Dresses Denver Colorado
Cabinet Card Peter Higgins Cute School Children Class Teacher Newcastle-On-Tyne
Cabinet Card Victorian Bunker Hill Monument Obelisk Charlestown Massachusetts
Cabinet Card Peter Higgins Cute School Children Class Teacher Newcastle-On-Tyne
Cabinet Card Victorian Bunker Hill Monument Obelisk Charlestown Massachusetts
Cabinet Card Freddie Huke Cute Young Girl Actress in Dress & Large Hat
Cabinet Card Sarony Gorgeous Actress In Elaborate Hat Holding Fan New York NY
Cabinet Card Two Cute Girls Myrtie & Clara Beebe Victorian Dresses Book
Cabinet Card Newsboy Young Gorgeous Sexy Actress Mary Anderson New York NY
Cabinet Card P. Higgins Schoolboys Group Bearded Teacher Newcastle On Tyne
Cabinet Card Campbell Four Handsome Men Holding Apples Medal Mansfield Ohio
Cabinet Card Young Soldier Man Musician Cornet Indian Wars Udell Iowa
Cabinet Card Handsome Man With Mustache Wearing Flat Cap With Bicycle Windowsill
Cabinet Card S.R. Flowers Three Young Women Reading Letter New Lexington Ohio
Cabinet Card Hacker & Schoen Handsome Man Pointy Mustache Goatee Dayton Ohio
Cabinet Card Large Fat Boy In Suit Circus Freak
Cabinet Card Cute Boy Robert Emmet Markham With Drum Studio Portrait
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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