Figure 1.--This portrait of two Scottish brothers dressed in matching sailor suits was taken as a Christmas portrait to send to family and friends in 1889. The noys are identified, but the handweiting is very difficult to read. Click on the image for more details.

After the CDV appeared in numbers (about 1860), we next see in only a few years the larger cabinet cards. We assume that the dates and the mounts are basically the same as in England, but there may have been some differences. Our assessment is limited by the fact that we have so few dated Scottish photographs. We are not sure when the first cabinet card appeared, but suspect it was after the mid-1860s. We do not yet have 1860s examples, but have found some in the 1870s. As far as we can tell, CDVs continued to be dominant in the 1870s. We begin to see substantial numbers of cabinet cards in the 1880s. We are only beginning our assessment of Scottish phototographic portaiture and eventually hope to have a more defintive assessment of albumen photography in the country. But like like England, it is clear that the CDV persisted much longer in Scotland than was the case of the United States. Scottish cabinet cards were dine in the same styles as the English cards. We see new cabinet card mount styles around the turn of the 20th century, but do not yet have the precise dates or many Scottish examples. This is the general pattern we see in other countries and as far as we can tell it is the same we see in Scotland. We see cabinet cards in different styles and colors and duifferent styles. This is the same opattern we see in other countries.

Classis Style (1860s-90s)

After the CDV appeared in numbers (about 1860), we next see in only a few years the larger cabinet cards. We assume that the dates and the mounts are basically the same as in England, but there may have been some differences. Our assessment is limited by the fact that we have so few dated Scottish photographs. We are not sure when the first cabinet card appeared, but suspect it was after the mid-1860s. We do not yet have 1860s examples, but have found some in the 1870s. As far as we can tell, CDVs continued to be dominant in the 1870s. We begin to see substantial numbers of cabinet cards in the 1880s. We are only beginning our assessment of Scottish phototographic portaiture and eventually hope to have a more defintive assessment of albumen photography in the country. But like like England, it is clear that the CDV persisted much longer in Scotland than was the case of the United States. Classic Scottish cabinet cards were done in the same size and styles as the English cards. The vast majority of cabinet cards were the same size -- 6 1/2" x 4 1/4". The 1889 card here is a good example of the classic cabinet card (figure 1). Most classic cards indicate the studio and city on the front, and by the 1880s there is often advertising on the back. The card looks more like the new style colors. Here our assessment is more based on American color trends. Clearly there are some differences between American and British trends.

New Styles (1900s-20s)

We see new cabinet card mount styles around the turn of the 20th century. This is not a precuse cut-off date. We see some of the new style mounts in the late-1890s and some of the classic mounts in the early-1900s. But the turn-of the century is a basic turning point. We do not yet have the precise dates or many Scottish examples. This is the general pattern we see in other countries and as far as we can tell it is the same as we see in Scotland. We see cabinet cards in different styles and colors and different styles. Unlike the classic mounts, there is a huge variery of sizes and styles as well as new colors. In America we see cards smaller and larger than the classic mounts. We assume this is the same pattern we see in other countries. Our Scottish archive, however, is too small to confirm this. We have found larger new style cabinet cards. We are not sure if there are smaller cards. We have not yet found examples. We have also found different mount styles. We note mounts with and without decorative ruling. And with and without the studio identified and different ways of indicating the studio. While some cards do indicate the studio, the studio is not indicated on the new style mounts. And advertising on the back is rare.

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Created: 5:21 AM 1/2/2008
Last updated: 8:01 AM 9/27/2018