New American Cabinet Cards: Mount Style Chronology--the 1920s

1926 cabinet card mount

Figure 1.--Here we see a cabinet card done in dark grey-green. The card these girls are holding tell us it was a 5th grade class in 1926. The school is the Farmington School in Connecticut. Notice the impressed framing and coordinated dark border.

Cabinet cards become rarer after World War I in the 1920s. Here we begin to see more postcard back prints and unattached prints with paper frames. We do, however, also see cabinet cards in the 1920s, but relatively few. They were becoming much less common as a percentage of the overall photographic record or even studio photogrphic record. Quite a number of the ones we have found are school portraits, presumably because studios were contracted to take the portraits. We believe that many of these cards were larger than the standard 19th century classic cabinet cards, but we do not yet have size data. The mounts are often drab colors. Some are ornate. Others just have framing, both impressed prames and colored lines, often thick lines. The colors continue to be drab colors like the one here (figure 1). We also see lighter colors, but not the various, nore vibrant colors used during the classic 19th century period.

Prevalence

Cabinet cards become rarer after World War I in the 1920s. Here we begin to see more postcard back prints and unattached prints with paper frames. We do, however, also see cabinet cards in the 1920s, but relatively few. They were becoming much less common as a percentage of the overall photographic record or even studio photogrphic record. Quite a number of the ones we have found are school portraits, presumably because studios were contracted to take the portraits.

Size

We believe that many of these cards were larger than the standard 19th century classic cabinet cards, but we do not yet have size data.

Colors

The mounts are often drab colors. The colors continue to be drab colors like the one here (figure 1). We also see lighter colors, like a greyish light green. What we do not see are the various, more vibrant colors used during the classic 19th century period.

Decortion

Some are ornate. Others just have framing, both impressed frames and colored lines, often thick lines. Some cabinet cards were heavily decorated, but usually not the school portrait cards. Framing lines were very common and done in various ways. We can see the impressed framing lines here along with a coordinated dark border (figure 1). The impressed framing lines also varied. Other cabinet cards just had colored line borders, in some cases quite thick lines.






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Created: 9:52 PM 9/19/2017
Last updated: 7:24 PM 10/22/2017