Card Colors

Initially, cabinet cards were made from natural raw bristol board, both front and back. But in the mid-1870s the backs were coated with soft off-white or even light pastel ink. The two most advertised card colors were primrose (pale yellow) and pearl (rich off-white) though light pink, blue, and green can be found.

In the mid-1880s dark colored cards were introduced and used until the early 1890s. The most popular was a dark maroon and black. Green was a very attractive version, but examples are harder to find.

While the dark cards are not rare, they did not capture a large share of the marketplace, possibly because they were more expensive than standard colors. Compared to primrose or pearl cards noted earlier which were $1.10 per hundred, maroon cards were $1.20 and black were $1.30 per hundred.

General Rule: Dark cards popular from 1885 to 1895

Imprints - Front and Back

Imprints are the text and artwork printed on the card. The front usually includes the studio or photographers' name and location. The back sometimes includes the same information, but more elaborate.

Front Imprint

Several style changes are easily datable. Artistic print means the typeface used is highly ornate cursive style.

Back Imprint

The backside of the photograph became an elaborate advertisement for the photographer. The following trends have been observed:

Note: The back was frequently left blank to reduce costs.

General Rule:  The fancier, the later the date.

Card Borders

The borders (lines or artwork on the card) and the manner in which the card edges were cut or treated are some of the best known clues to dating the cabinet card. Characteristics to look for are:

Borders

General Rule: No single rule applies across all cards

Card Edges

Card edges experienced numerous changes during the latter 1800s. These included beveled edges, gilt treatment, and scalloped edges. Throughout the time however, plain straight cut edges could be found also. The simplest ones were the cheapest and there was always a market for them.

General Rule: Most fancy edges are from the 1890s