Figure 1.--Paper frames in the 1920s were often very elaborate. This elaborate frame one from 1929 is a good ecample. I believe the styling here could be called art deco. Click on the image for information about the unidetified Polish-American boy.

Throughout the 1860s-90s CDVs and cabinent cards were the dominant format. We only note the paper fram used with tin-types. There seems to be a very destinctive shift made at the tutn of the 20th century, although this transition mzay have varied from country to country. After the turn of the 20th century, at least in America, cardboard mounts gave way to paper mounts of various designs. These were not the cheap paper frames used for tin-types, but rather often artistically done frames with heavy paper and embossing or fancy print. Often very large frames were used for rather small images, some times printed in cirles and ovals. Some paper frame had the photographer indicated, others were blank. The paper frames were less elaborate by the 1940s, but the images inside tended to be larger than earlier in the century. These paper frames largeky disappeared during the 1950s. Much of our assessment comes from the United States. We are not at all sure about styles and chonological trends in other countries. All of these different approaches and the styling associated with them can be used to help date photographs. This is, however, a vast topic which will take some time and effort to develop.

The 19th Century

Photography was invented in France (1839). The first format was the Daguerreotype (1840s). Large numbers of Dags were created in America, smaller numbers in Rurope. American Dags were almost all delivered to the customer in cases. The sme was true of Ambros and Tin-types which soon appeared (1850s). Most fornats were rapidly replaced by albumen orunrs (CDVs and cabinet cards (1860s). Dags and Ambros rapidly disappeared, but tin-types persisted. The first tin-types that appeared in the 50s were dine in cases, but this changed in the 1860s. The albumen process (CDVs and cabinet cards) rapidly replaced Dags and Ambros. The CDVs and cabinet cards remained the dominant photographic format for the rest if the century. We begin to see tin-types delivered in paper sleeves which might be called frames. There may have been some paper frames in the very late 1890s. Here we are looking into this.

The 20th Century

There seems to be a very destinctive shift made at the tutn of the 20th century, although this transition mzay have varied from country to country. After the turn of the 20th century, at least in America, cardboard CDV and cabinent mounts gave way to paper mounts of various designs. We are not entirely sure just when this occurred, but we note that by the very early 1900s there were large numbers of portraits in these paper mounts. These were not the cheap paper frames used for tin-types, but rather often artistically done frames with heavy paper and embossing or fancy print. Often very large frames were used for rather small images, some times printed in cirles and ovals. Some paper frame had the photographer indicated, others were blank. The paper frames were less elaborate by the 1940s, but the images inside tended to be larger than earlier in the century. These paper frames largeky disappeared during the 1950s. Much of our assessment comes from the United States. We are not at all sure about styles and chonological trends in other countries. All of these different approaches and the styling associated with them can be used to help date photographs. This is, however, a vast topic which will take some time and effort to develop.

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Created: 11:07 PM 7/7/2012
Last updated: 11:07 PM 7/7/2012