Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Friese Greene Cute Twin Girls Bath England
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s A.H. Sageman Large Family Family Farmington IA
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Arthur Three Men Drinking Photos on Wall Buffalo NY
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s B.J. Falk Jessie Bradbury Child Actress New York NY
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s H.J. Braschoss Four Men in Suits Soldier Koln Germany
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Mary Washington School Building Fredericksburg Virginia
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s E.J. Miles Lady In Striped Dress Crawfordsville Indiana
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Family in Hats Washington Memorial Washington DC
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Maul Young Lady In Elegant Attire Fine China Chicago IL
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Rush Funeral Memorial Flower Arrangement Olney Illinois
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s John D. Kemer Old Lady In Dress Harrisburg PA
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Miller Young Lady In Dress Rochester NY
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s DeYoung Gorgeous Lady Fancy Dress New York NY
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s J. Hansen Cute Baby In Dress Tell City Indiana
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s C.L. Merrill Husband and Wife Grand Rapids MI
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s B.W. Holmes Handsome Young Man In Suit Albany NY
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s James Cute Boy In Suit St. Louis Missouri
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Unknown Handsome Man with Mustache In Suit
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s W.H. Moore Cute Baby In Dress Marion Ohio
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Unknown Handsome Man in Suit Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Houghton Old Lady In Dress The Dalles OR
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Fowler Gorgeous Lady In Dress Haverhill MA
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Teush Gorgeous Lady In Dress Saugerties NY
Cabinet Card Circa 1890s Vignos Elegant Lady In Suit Canton Ohio
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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