Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Cabinet Card Soldier Outside Tent Holding Rifle Bayonet African American Lady
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Vogenitz Young Drummer Boy Topeka Kansas
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Cyclone Tornado Aftermath Disaster Wellington Kansas
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Cyclone Tornado Aftermath Disaster Wellington Kansas
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Holdman's Atlas Flour Advertising Baby Milwaukee WI
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Two Men Smoking Pipe Wearing Detectives Clothing
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s S. Bing Gorgeous Young Lady In Dress Reading Book Wien
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s W. Mayr Husband Wife Romantic Couple Book Germany
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Hancock Old Bearded Man Grandpa and Baby Lapeer MI
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s R. Keeble Jowett Cute Couple Aylesbury UK
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Wheaton Husband and Wife Fancy Clothes Rockford Ill.
Cabinet Card C. 1890s Franz Hülscher Family Elegant Dresses Rothenburg Germany
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Funeral Memorial Young Man Surrounded by Flowers
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s M.M. Couvée People on Beach in Huts Hague Netherlands
Cabinet Card C. 1890s G.A. Hardman Group of Gorgeous Ladies in Hats Blackpool U
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Man in Suit Holding Double Barrel Shotgun with Dog
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s P. Wronker Cute Children with Cart Pforzheim Germany
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Westly Handsome Soldier with Mustache in Uniform
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s F.L. Lamont LTC Jonathan Jones Pottsville Pa.
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s E.R. Gyde Men in Academic Gowns Aberystwyth Wales
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s United Organ Co. Organ The Kintermister Fancy
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Man with Mustache Standing Pose Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Bearded Man in Suit Unusual
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Wooley & Carson Man with Mustache Tent Photographers
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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