Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s S.B. Hoffmeier Lady In Dress Easton PA
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s S. Brown Gorgeous Lady With Bow in Dress
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Alice L. Parker Cute Children In Dresses Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Baby Cute In Dress Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s L.C. Fowler Gorgeous Lady In Dress Lancaster PA
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Large Group Party Fancy Clothes Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Large Family Group of Eight Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Family of Ladies in Elegant Dresses Unmarked
Cabinet Card C. 1890s J.F. Langhans Family Brother Sister Plzen Czech Republic
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Wendt Cute Children With Umbrella Boonton NJ
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Family with Children Sitting Outside of House
Cabinet Card C. 1890s Cute Children In Fancy Dress Holding Photo Album
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s S. B. Crockard Gorgeous Lady in Dress Britton SD
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s L.C. Mitchell Handsome Man in Suit Oskaloosa IA
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Partridge Cute Children In Dress Boston MA.
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s J. Azevedo Family Wedding New Bedford Mass
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s S. Strauss Cute Child Checkered Dress Hat Outside
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s J. Anderson Large Family Group Red Oak Iowa
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Young Gorgeous Lady In Dress Sitting Outside
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s C.E. Kerr Children in Plaid Saginaw Michigan
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s A.H. Luedtke Large Family Elegant Dresses
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s J.A. Jones Handsome Man with Mustache Floral
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Azevedo Couple Wedding New Bedford Massachusetts
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Hofmann Young Man Wearing Hat Chicago Ill.
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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