Figure 1.--It is a little difficult to tell, but we think this was a stand-up paper frame. The front has fancy feame work. The Detroit boy was doing his First Communion. We think hid style was used in the the 1920s and early 30s, but this has to be confirmed.

We note stand-up frames in the 1930s. We think this was fairly common and many portraits came in stand up frames. We are not yet sure about the color and decoration. We believe these stand-up frames first appeared in the 1920s, but we are not yet positive. This needs to be confirmed. They were clearly common in the 1930s. We are not yet sure about the precise prevalence. The stand-up frames of course were made without side flaps. Many were detinctively decorated. We are not entirely sure about the stand up arrangement. We see frames with top and bottom attachments that formed a kind of triangular sypport. They were done in various sizes. We note one portrait measuring 3 1/2" by 5". It is in a studio cardboard folder and frame that measures 4 3/4" by 7 1/2". The frame is printed on the lower right corner "Hollingshead Woodland, Cal." At the bottom of the cardboard frame is the fold-back flap to make it stand up. On that written in ink is "John Louis Sanstrum April 1935". The photo measures 3 1/2" by 5". It is in a studio cardboard folder and frame that measures 4 3/4" by 7 1/2". The photo is printed on the lower right corner "Hollingshead Woodland, Cal." At the bottom of the cardboard frame is the fold-back flap to make it stand up. On that written in ink is "John Louis Sanstrum April 1935". Another good example is an unidentified American family.

Prevalence

We note stand-up frames in the 1930s. We think this was fairly common and many portraits came in stand up frames. We believe these stand-up frames first appeared in the 1920s, but we are not yet positive. This needs to be confirmed. They were clearly common in the 1930s. We are not yet sure about the precise prevalence.

Color and Decoration

Many of these paper frames were detinctively decorated. We note a range of both colors and decorations. There are some wonderful artdeco decorations. The frame here is a good example of period decoration. (figure 1). Other paper frames were very plain. The colors often employed a two shade print to add contrast to the decoration. The frames we see are always shades of the same color rather than two colors. The colors employed are commolnly brown, green, and grey. Many were done as arched openings rather than a standard rectangular shape. We are not yet sure about how to date the color and decoration.

Construction

The stand-up frames of course were made without side flaps. We are not entirely sure about the stand up arrangement. We see frames with top and bottom attachments that formed a kind of triangular sypport. A good example is an unidentified American family which clearly shows this triangular arrangement. There was some variation.

Sizes

These paper frames were done in various sizes. We note one portrait on the previous page measuring 3 1/2" by 5". It is in a studio cardboard folder and frame that measures 4 3/4" by 7 1/2". The frame is printed on the lower right corner "Hollingshead Woodland, Cal." At the bottom of the cardboard frame is the fold-back flap to make it stand up. On that written in ink is "John Louis Sanstrum April 1935". The photo measures 3 1/2" by 5". It is in a studio cardboard folder and frame that measures 4 3/4" by 7 1/2". The photo is printed on the lower right corner "Hollingshead Woodland, Cal." At the bottom of the cardboard frame is the fold-back flap to make it stand up. On that written in ink is "John Louis Sanstrum April 1935".

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Created: 1:41 AM 4/3/2010
Last updated: 6:18 AM 7/29/2010