Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Antique Cabinet Card Handsome Young Man Victorian Suit Cravat Tasseled Chair
Antique Cabinet Card Hotchkiss Handsome Man Double Breasted Coat Norwich NY
Antique Cabinet Card Bowring Young Man Suit Hat Balustrade DE Pere Wis
Antique Cabinet Card Fritsch Photographer Mature Victorian Woman Pattern Dress
Antique Cabinet Card Vignette Portrait Young Girl Lace Collar Necklace Dress
Antique Cabinet Card J S Hawke Young Woman Striped Collar Bow Watertown NY
Antique Cabinet Card Mature Woman High Lace Collar Buttoned Bodice Portrait
Antique Cabinet Card Fra Robinson Victorian Woman Lace Collar Trumansburg NY
Antique Cabinet Card Handsome Young Man Victorian Three Piece Suit Pocket Watch
Antique Cabinet Card Cashner Woman Elaborate Braided Bodice Sullivan Ind
Antique Cabinet Card Hearn Young Couple Man Woman Studio Portrait Union City PA
Antique Cabinet Card Webster Victorian Couple Man Seated Woman Waltham Mass
Antique Cabinet Card Lewis Young Woman Braided Hair Frogging Trim Hudson Mass
Antique Cabinet Card Henry Schoerry Cute Toddler Child White Dress NYC NY
Antique Cabinet Card Pruden Cute Toddler Baby Child Armchair Cortland NY
Antique Cabinet Card G Trunov Victorian Woman Leaning On Velvet Chair Moscow
Antique Cabinet Card L W Barton Family Portrait Parents Four Children Jackson
Antique Cabinet Card F. H. Rice Profile Portrait Young Woman Worcester Mass
Antique Cabinet Card Thomas J Ward Handsome Man Mustache Suit Embossed Border
Antique Cabinet Card Cudding Elderly Woman Portrait Bust Bolivar Friendship NY
Antique Cabinet Card Bracy Woman Lace Cape Collar Brooch Wells Wells River VT
Antique Cabinet Card D. B. Vickery Young Woman Lace Collar Haverhill MASS
Antique Cabinet Card Baby Infant White Gown Rustic Twig Chair Floral Blanket
Antique Cabinet Card Victorian Woman Standing Dark Button Dress Lace Collar 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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