Figure 1.---This cabinet card portrait shows a boy named Jack Shearer. His proper name is presumably John. He looks to be about 6 years old. The card has a white mount. The portrait was taken February 19, 1893. The studio is Holden in Worcester, Massachusetts. Note the embossed studio informtion, rather difficult to see in this scan. It is another chracteristic of 1890s cabinet cards.

A substantial portion of the American cabinets cards we have archived during the 1890s were mounts with whitish shades. Our archive is large enough that we believe this is a reasonable indicator of prevalence. We would estimate that more than half of 1890s mounts had these whitish mounts. We note some stylistic differences which can help destinguish at least some of the 1890s white cabinet cards. We also notice a range of whitish shades such as cream and ivory. Whitish colored cards seem especally popular in the 1890s. Some cards show bright white colors. While other cards are dull and yellowed. We do not know what the original color was. A factor here is how the cards were stored. Differentiating white shades is a challenge and we do not think at this stage is a paticularly useful endevor. But many of the white shades are particularly associated with the 1890s. Not all cabinet cards had white mounts in the 1890s, but it was by far the dominant color. There were differences in the white mounts, not only with the shade of white. Some cards had a textured border. Notice the card here has a txtured border. The studio information here was embossed (figure 1). Other cbinet cards had the studio information in the traditional printed format.

Prevlence

A substantial portion of the American cabinets cards we have archived during the 1890s were mounts with whitish shades. Our archive is large enough that we believe this is a reasonable indicator of prevalence. We would estimate that more than half of 1890s mounts had these whitish mounts. Whitish colored cards seem especally popular in the 1890s. Not all cabinet cards had white mounts in the 1890s, but it was by far the dominant color. We see white mounts in other decades, but the white shades were not nearly as prevalent the 1890s. So we can not say that undated whitish cards are from the 90s and this can not be used as any defintive dating tool. The really bright white cards, however, are mostly from the 90s. And this can be used as a likely dating indicator, although certainly not definitice..

Characteristics

We note some stylistic differences which can help destinguish at least some of the 1890s white cabinet cards. There were differences in the white mounts, not only with the shade of white. Some cards had a textured border. Notice the card here has a textured border. The suudio information here was embossed (figure 1). You have to look closely to see it as it all the same collar as the mount, only embossed. This embossing was normally done mostly on cards with whitish-colored mounts. Oher cabinet cards had the studio information in the traditional colored printed format.

Shades

We also notice a range of whitish shades such as cream and ivory. Some cards show bright white colors. While other cards are dull and yellowed. We do not know what the original color was. A factor here is how the cards were stored. Differentiating white shades is a challenge and we do not think at this stage is a paticularly useful endevor. But many of the white shades are particularly associated with the 1890s. Cream is a little different. we see quite a few of the cards in the early-100s are don with cream.

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Created: 7:49 AM 5/5/2017
Last updated: 7:49 AM 5/5/2017