Cabinet Card
The bigger sibling of the CDV — large albumen portraits on heavy ornamental mounts.
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Davis Cute Child In Dress Painesville Ohio
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Young Cute Girl With Bow In Dress Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Potter Cute Baby Wapakoneta Ohio
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s MacKenzie Cute Girl In Dress East Liverpool Ohio
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s A.R. Conrad Cute Girl In Dress Shamokin PA
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Bulmer Family In Formal Attire Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s F.N. Warmkessel Handsome Man Allentown PA
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Saettele Cute Baby in Gown St. Louis MO
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s M.R. Cole Handsome Man In Suit Standing Unmarked
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Coutts&Howe Young Couple In Formal Dress Iowa
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Nye Baby Cute Wearing Gown Duluth Minnesota
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s J.R. Tewksbury Handsome Man With Hat Iowa
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Grotecloss Bearded Man with Mustache NY
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Pentz Old Bearded Man In Suit York PA
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s A. Bogardus Bearded Man In Suit New York
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s J.D. Strunk Handsome Bearded Man In Suit Reading PA
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Hayden Handsome Bearded Man In Suit Chelsea
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Claflin Handsome Man with Mustache Worcester MA
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s D. Ehs Old Bearded Man Philadelphia PA
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s T.E. Marr Old Man with Sideburns Suit
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Beveridge Handsome Man with Mustache Iowa
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Pickerill's Gorgeous Lady Indianapolis Indiana
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s Platt Bearded Man In Suit Sandusky OH
Cabinet Card Circa 1880s J.M. Elliott Handsome Man with Mustache Columbus
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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