Cabinet Card - Dating A Cabinet Card

Dating A Cabinet Card

Attempting to determine the date of creation for a cabinet card can be gathered by the details on the card. The type of card stock or whether it had right-angled or rounded corners can often help to determine the date of the photograph to as close as five years. However, it has to be noted that these dating methods aren't always 100% accurate, since a Victorian photographer may have been using up old card stock, or the cabinet card may have been a re-print made many years after the photo was originally recorded.

Card stock

• 1866-1880: square, lightweight mount
• 1880-1890: square, heavy weight card stock
• 1890s: scalloped edges

Card colours

• 1866-1880: thin, light weight card stock in white, off white or light cream; white and light colours were used in later years, but generally on heavier card stock
• 1880-1890: different colours for face and back of mounts
• 1882-1888: matte-finish front, with a creamy-yellow, glossy back

Borders

• 1866-1880: red or gold rules, single and double lines
• 1884-1885: wide gold borders
• 1885-1892: gold beveled edges
• 1889-1896: rounded corner rule of single line
• 1890s on — Embossed borders and/or lettering

Lettering

• 1866-1879 Photographer name and address often printed small and neatly just below the image, and/or studio name printed small on back.
• 1880s on — Large, ornate text for photographer name and address, especially in cursive style. Studio name often takes up the entire back of the card.
• Late 1880s-90s Gold text on black card stock
• 1890s on: embossed studio name or other embossed designs