Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Antique Cabinet Card Crofoot Two Young Couples Family Group Kendallville IND
Antique Cabinet Card Baby Girl Frilly White Lace Dress Oval Filigree Frame Mount
Antique Cabinet Card E. M. Van Aken Woman Portrait High Collar Elmira NY
Antique Cabinet Card Wheeler Cora Kenney Mrs Fred Miller Photo Pittsfield Mass
Antique Cabinet Card A. I. Cook Victorian Woman High Collar Dress Bar Brooch
Antique Cabinet Card Union Photo CO Two Young Boys Wicker South Milford IND.
Antique Cabinet Card Fritz Baby Long Christening Gown Floral Lambertville NJ
Antique Cabinet Card St John Victorian Woman Beaded Bodice Dress Hartford Conn
Antique Cabinet Card Sullivan Handsome Young Man Suit Tie Pin Kendallville IND
Antique Cabinet Card Sullivan Young Couple Plaid Dress Suit Kendallville in
Antique Cabinet Card Sleyster Family Portrait Victorian Fashion Preston Minn
Antique Cabinet Card G.M. Greene Young Man Suit Necktie Portrait Johnstown PA
Antique Cabinet Card Strunk Family Portrait Father Mother Child Reading PA
Antique Cabinet Card Rishel Young Woman High Collar Leg Mutton Lehighton PA
Antique Cabinet Card Crouch Young Man Plaid Tie East Saginaw East Saginaw MI
Antique Cabinet Card H M Wilcox Three Children Boy Babies Petoskey Petoskey MI
Antique Cabinet Card Fritz Baby Long Gown Chair R Randolph Lambertville NJ
Antique Cabinet Card Barker Woman Lace Jabot Collar Curly Hair Saginaw City MI
Antique Cabinet Card Gilbert Bacon Young Woman High Collar Philadelphia PA
Antique Cabinet Card Crouch Goff Family Father Mother Son East Saginaw Mich
Antique Cabinet Card Family Trio Mother Father Young Child Ruffled Lace Collar
Antique Cabinet Card W B Cuyler Family Mother Father Baby Greenfield Ind.
Antique Cabinet Card Crouch Victorian Family Portrait Duncan East Saginaw MI
Antique Cabinet Card Shackell Clauss Victorian Lady Curly Hair Velvet Bodice 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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