Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Antique Cabinet Card Merell Woman Profile Portrait Ruffled Collar Ionia Mich MI
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Antique Cabinet Card B C Goldsberry Young Man High Collar Portrait Bedford IA
Antique Cabinet Card The Empire Young Boy Fauntleroy Suit Boots Canton OH
Antique Cabinet Card Strunk Woman Updo High Collar Dress Scalloped Reading PA
Antique Cabinet Card Notman Woman Eyeglasses Pince-Nez Boston Boston MA
Antique Cabinet Card CA Hoskins Portrait Woman Ribbon Trim Cheboygan MI
Antique Cabinet Card Harriman Infant Baby Long Christening Gown Cheboygan Mich
Antique Cabinet Card Voigt CO Couple Leg O Mutton Sleeves Milwaukee Milwaukee WI
Antique Cabinet Card Koyle Victorian Woman High Neck Lace Collar Assumption ILL
Antique Cabinet Card Chapman Studio Young Girl Velvet Skirt Stanton Stanton MI
Antique Cabinet Card Lyon Young Woman Vignette Portrait Saginaw Saginaw MI
Antique Cabinet Card Drago Dapper Young Man Bowler Hat Suit Photo Bay City Mich
Antique Cabinet Card Drago Victorian Woman Ruffled Bodice Dress Bay City Mich
Antique Cabinet Card Beckman Young Man Three Piece Suit Bowler Hat Saginaw MI
Antique Cabinet Card Marek Fashionable Woman Mutton Sleeves Flower St Louis MO
Antique Cabinet Card Smith Four Women Prosser Sisters Saginaw Saginaw MI
Antique Cabinet Card C. A. Newman Young Man Frock Coat Bowler Hat Butler in
Antique Cabinet Card Ft Castle Woman Victorian High Collar Washington WA DC
Antique Cabinet Card Beckman Man Three Piece Suit Bowler Hat Saginaw W. S. Mich
Antique Cabinet Card Morton Cute Little Girl Standing Wicker Chair Providence RI
Antique Cabinet Card Portrait Mature Woman Lace Jabot Collar Earrings Hairstyle
Antique Cabinet Card Burnhams Photo Cars Boy Hat 3-Piece Suit Watch Chain Prop
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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