Figure 1.--This colorized portrait was made in 1885. The 2 1/2 year old twins were Rosamend J. and Raymond G Curtis. The dark brown mounts had gilt beveled edges. The lettering was done in yellow (here) or green in another print.

The subject of guilding or applying gold color to cabinet cards is a complicated one because there are so many options. Gilding seems particularly popular in the 1880s and to a somewhat lesser extent the 1890s. There were differences from county to country. Here we are talking about both borders and guilding the edge of the card, like the pages of an expesively bound books. Wide gilded borders in America according to one source were only seen about 1884-85, but we have found earlier examples. Gilded edges, often beveled, were popular according to one source over a wider time span, about 1885-92. They were often done with a dark colored mount (blue, brown, burgundy, and green). Rounded corner rule with a single line were popular 1889-96. A German card mount expert writes, "I would date the portrait into the 1880s, maybe the late 1880s. And I can't exclude the possibility of the early 90s. This dark cardboard with lots of gold was fashionable in Germany during the the 1880s. Some sources say even until the mid-90s. I specialize in collecting dated images. All my German studio portraits in this style are dated in the 1880s to 1890, starting from 1883." We have noted many of these gold border cards done in dark green, but other colors were also used. We have also noted black, red, and white. We note Austrian cabinent cards with borders similar to those on CDVs. A good example is a portrait of two Vienna brothers in 1888. It was not done with a colored background.

Guilded Borders

Gilded borders in America according to one source were only seen about 1884-85, but we have found earlier examples. Borders were more common with CDVs than cabinet cards, but we have found several dated cabinet cards with gilded borders. The width of the borders varied somewhat, but here we are talking about wide boirders and not narrow lines. All we have found so far have rounded collars. As far as we can tell, this was an 1880s style, but the number of dated examples is still quite small so we can not yet make any definitive assessment. We note a card showing Georgie Truman dated 1881. It was a light-colored card with guilded matching lettering.

Guilded Edges

Gilded edges, often beveled, were popular according to one source over a wider time span, about 1885-92. They were often done with a dark colored mount (blue, brown, burgundy, and green). Rounded corner rule with a single line were popular 1889-96. A German card mount expert writes, "I would date the portrait into the 1880s, maybe the late 1880s. And I can't exclude the possibility of the early 90s. This dark cardboard with lots of gold was fashionable in Germany during the the 1880s. Some sources say even until the mid-90s. I specialize in collecting dated images. All my German studio portraits in this style are dated in the 1880s to 1890, starting from 1883." We have noted many of these gold border cards done in dark green, but other colors were also used. We have also noted black, red, and white. We note Austrian cabinent cards with borders similar to those on CDVs. A good example is a portrait of two Vienna brothers in 1888. It was not done with a colored background.

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Created: 7:57 AM 1/23/20096
Last updated: 7:57 AM 1/23/2009