Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Antique Cabinet Card D. B. Vickery Bearded Man Bowtie Vest Haverhill Mass
Antique Cabinet Card C H Freeman Mustache Man Suit Scalloped Edge Dark Mount
Antique Cabinet Card Clement Balding Bearded Man Bow Tie me Portrait Milo ME
Antique Cabinet Card Hodge Handsome Mustache Man Patterned Tie Providence RI
Antique Cabinet Card Hardie Schadee Man Mustache Tie Pin Northampton Mass
Antique Cabinet Card Anderson Man Long Beard Mustache Bowtie Haverhill Mass
Antique Cabinet Card D Rider Young Handsome Man Suit Photo Upper Sandusky OH
Antique Cabinet Card Granniss Man Chin Curtain Beard Suit Photo Waterbury CONN
Antique Cabinet Card Brown Bearded Elderly Man Suit Providence Providence RI
Antique Cabinet Card NY Gallery Woman Trompe L'oeil Scroll Reading PA
Antique Cabinet Card Wright Handsome Mustache Man Suit Vest Portland Portland ME
Antique Cabinet Card Critcherson Hallock Young Man South South Framingham Mass.
Antique Cabinet Card W. F. Geer Bearded Man Sideburns Bowtie Canton Canton OH
Antique Cabinet Card W R Call Handsome Man Mustache Scroll Photo Manchester NH
Antique Cabinet Card Webster Thorsen Mustache Man Bow Tie Des Des Moines IA
Antique Cabinet Card Semple Woman Choker Collar Lace Dress Portrait Albany NY
Antique Cabinet Card Simmons Woman Elaborate Ribbon Hat Puffed Sleeves Portrait
Antique Cabinet Card Mulligan Bros Portrait Bust Mature Woman Columbus OH
Antique Cabinet Card Clark Handsome Man Vest Bowtie Suit Portrait Barre VT
Antique Cabinet Card Clark Woman Puffed Sleeves High Collar McKeesport PA
Antique Cabinet Card F Donahue Cute Baby White Lace Collar Hornellsville NY
Antique Cabinet Card C C Cunningham Governeur NY Woman Beaded Gouverneur N.Y.
Antique Cabinet Card Lovejoy Young Woman Lace Bodice Victorian Photo Owego NY
Antique Cabinet Card P S Ryder Young Handsome Man Bow Tie Suit Syracuse NY
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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