Figure 1.--This American boy, Barnes or Barnet Wolfe was photographed in 1893. The studio was Dana in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This must have been an important studio as there was also at outlet in New York City. The cabinet card is identified as 'Ivoryettes'. Notice that thus was a Dana Ivoryette withoutba painted background and doe as torso pose.

We notice some cabinent cards were identified as 'Ivoryettes'. Some had the added description 'Extra Finish'. It was achieved by a lighting effect gibung a whitish look. The portrait in these cards had a whiter (ivory) finish than a standard albumen print. It gave a more natural look and some preffered it. It was mot an entirely different process than the albumen print. Studios like Dana in Pittsburgh and New York City used this process. We are not sure about the chronolohy. We do have some dated examples. We have not yet noted it in the 1880s, but we see it being used in the 1890s and very early-1900s. The example here, Barnes or Barnet Wolfe, is dated 1893. We note a New York portrait of three brothers is dated 1894. The example on the previous page is dated 1897. It was it was taken in Chicago during 1897. The mount is ivory with rounded corners. Mote how the studio name is impressed which makes it difficult to read. Also note the white furniture. We note wicker furniture in the 1890s and often painted wite around the turn-of-the 20th century, The Ivoryette cards may have been a strictly American process, but all our examples archived so far are American. Our information these Ivoryette cabinet cards are still very limited.

Edward C. Dana (1852-97)

Edward C. Dana was born (1852). He grew up in Massachusetts. His father was stockbroker E.C. Dana. As a boy he saw the photogrfaphs by Brady, Alexander, and others. He became fascinated with photography. He took courses preparing him to be a clerk. He developed the ability to record information in stenographic shorthand. He became fascinated with photography during the Civil War, when images of the conflict appeared in public places in Boson. He received instruction in the art under Boston photographer James W. Turner. He decided to move to New York and open a photopgraphic studio.

Studios

The examples we have found of Iviory ettes cime from big city studios. We are not sure, however, thst the process was limited to big cities. Studios like Dana in Pittsburgh, Chicago and New York City used this process. The process was developed at the Dana studio. Dana saw New York City as offering the best business opportunity. He selected a site in Brooklyn (1875). This was not the most prestigious location, but it was a site a struggling young man could afford. The qualitynof his work led to a successful operation and he moved to morevprestigious location in Manhattan, 14th Street & 6th Avenue. He devoped a destinctiuve technique. He stopped using painted backgrounds which he saw as distracting (figure 1). Instead he used loghting techniques and a palin background, which focused attentionn solely on the subject. With Sana usually a torso or facial image. This drew national attemtion and made him one of New York's most highly regarded photogrphers. This explains his move to a studio on Broadway--one of the most pestigious retail locations in New York. We notice other studios producing Ivoryettes, but with the standard paonted backdrops and with the focus in facial/torso poses.

Awards

He was not only ba financial success, but was recohnized by the photographic industry. He started to win medals in studio competitiions (late 1880s). He won a Gold Medal (1887). This was the first of a long series of such awards. Prominent among them began winning medals for portraiture with some regularity in the last part of the 1880s. Prominent among them was a gold medal for portraiture at the Photographers' Association of America (PAA) convention (1891). And then an award of merit in photography at the World's Columbian Exposition (1893). A bronze medal for portraiture followed at the PAA convention (1894). [Shields, 'Edward C. Dana'.]

Advancing Technology

Major advances in photography were occuring in the late-1890s. Until this time publishers who wanted to reproduce a photograph or art work in a book, magazine, or newspaper had to commission an egraving, a complicated and expensuive step. Inventors were working on the half-tone process alowing photo-reproduction in periodicals, even newspapers which required an inexopensive and quick procedure. Much of this work was occuring in New York, the center of the American publishing jndustry. Dana was interested in these developments and bdecame aquainted with people working on the half tine process. A whole new geberation of photographers were launching a new branch of the industry, expanding from taking prtraits in public studios to selling images to book and periodical publishers. We even see studios convincing producers to finance publicity sittings that could be used in publications. Dana engaged George A. Connor as his head printer. They collaborated in experiments with printing processes. As a result, threy inventing a carbonette negative (collodion paper squeezed onto ground glass). Next they came up with the Ivorette print. This was a brilliantly sharp portrait printed on half-gloss cream-colored card mounts. [Shields, 'Edward C. Dana'.] A reader tells us that she has not found any actual partents. [Stuart]

Expansion

Dana's work attracted extensive notice. There were placements in both newspapers and magazines. And this was not just advertisements, but some of the ealiest half-tones oublished. Dana and Connor were quite prolific. [Shields, E-mail] This allowed him start to opening a chain of studios in other big cities (1890s). He opened branches in Pittsburgh and Brooklyn (George P. Roberts operated it). He also planned to move his New York headquarters to amore prestigious location further up Broadway when he died at the very young age oif only 44 years (1897). His lead assistant at the time was J.E. Giffin. We see other studios not only in New York, but around the country producing Ivoryette portraits--bit often without the background lighting effects and concertration on facial and torso poses. We do not know the arrangemnts they had with Dana, if any.

Ivoryette Process

We notice some cabinent cards pm the 1890s were identified as 'Ivoryettes'. Other cabinet cards at about the same time had the added description 'Extra Finish'. A HBC reader tells us. "- it was a lighting technique that created that whiter/ivory look. " [Robin] He referred us to an excellent description in a question and answer section of a period photography journal. "A so-called 'Ivoryette' print is notbone made on a ceratin kind of of albumen paper, as you supose, but is a name given to an effect produced by a particular kind of lighting and background, and may be made on any heavily albumened paper. By referring to the print you mention you will see that the background enployed is partly transparent and white, or nearly so, and the lighting chiefly from the top. By a little experimentation and comparison of the results obtained with your model [camera] you will soon acquire the knack. Care should be taken not to overtime your prints." [Chandler and Elliott, 1892, p. 31.] The process was developed in the New York Dana studio and copied by other competing studios (1891) [Chandler and Elliott, 1891, p. 27.] We believe it was primarily a 1890s process, although some may jave been done in the late-1880s or early-1900s. We have not yet foujnd such examples. The Ivoryette prints are usually mentioned as part of the studio information at the bottom of the cabinet card, but easily identified by the whitish look. The portrait in these cards had a whiter (ivory) finish than a standard albumen print. It gave a more natural look and some preferred it. It was not an entirely different process than the albumen print.

Chronology (1890s)

We are not entireky sure about the precise chronolohy of these Ivoryette cards yet. We do have some dated examples which provide a basic chronology. The examples we have found come from the 1890s. This is helpful in dating undated cabinet cards. We have not yet noted Ivoryette cards from the 1880s, but we see it being used in the 1890s and we think the pricess was also used in the very early-1900s. We have found quite a number oif examples during the 1890s. The example here, Barnes or Barnet Wolfe, is dated 1893. We note a New York portrait of three brothers which is dated 1894. We noted an unidentified Chicago boy who had his portrait taken in 1897. The mount is ivory with rounded corners. Mote how the studio name is impressed which makes it difficult to read. Also note the white furniture. We note wicker furniture in the 1890s and often painted wite around the turn-of-the 20th century. After Dana died in 1897, his assistant seems to have continued prroducig Ivoryette prints, but we see fewer examples after 1897.

Country Trends

The Ivoryette cards as far as we can tell was a strictly American process, but all our examples archived so far are American.

Sources

Chandler, Charles F. and Arthur H. Elliott, Editors. Anthony's Photographic Bulletin, Vol. 23 (1892).

Chandler, Charles F. and Arthur H. Elliott, Editors, Anthony's Photographic Bulletin, Vol. 22 (1892).

Robin. E-mail message (May 17, 2020).

Shields, David S. "Edward C. Dana," Broadway Photography (2013).

Shields, David S. E-Mail message (January 15, 2021).

Stuart, Cindy. E-Mail message (January 15, 2021).

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Created: 12:18 PM 12/7/2006
Last updated: 10:27 AM 4/16/2021