Figure 1.-- We note an American CDV with twin grey rules, a thick and thin line in 1865. The thine rule line is partially obsured by the photograph pased on the card. The boy's name was Henry (perhaps Benny) S?. O'Bane.

Rule lines were very common on CDVs. The different border rules varied in number and width. We note thin lines, both single and double lines. We are not yet sure how useful the various alternatives are in establishing the date of the CDV. Single thin lines were very common. We note an American CDV with twin grey rules, a thick and thin line in 1865 (figure 1). We note a German CDV taken in 1877 with sinle thin dark red lines. An American CDV at a very early date had double thin line red borders. We believe this card was made in 1864. That date is based on the copyright, so it could have been a year or two later, but we know it was a Civil War-era card, because the back has a Federal revenue stamp. The border on the back was different from that on the front.

Prevalence

Rule lines were very common on CDVs. The different border rules varied in number and width. We note thin lines, both single and double lines. Tgey were done in a range of colors. We are not yet sure how useful the various alternatives are in establishing the date of the CDV. Nor are we sure about country differences.

Single Thin Lines

Single thin line borders were very common. CDVs with single thin lines seem to have been made over a wide range of years. We notice throughout the 19th century, but the seem to me most prominant among the early CDVs. We note them from the 1860s through the 90s done in various colors. We note thin line cards both with and without the studio name and in a variety of colors. Just how the dates may have varied we are just beginning to work out. Nor do we fully understand differences between countries. Most of our achive is American CDVs, but we are constantly adding new CDVs. American DDVs are somewhat different than European CDVs in that cabinent cards became very common by the 1880s and you see relatively few American CDVs after the 70s while in Europe they continued to be very common into the the 90s.

Thin and Thick Lines

We note a large number of CDVs with borders composed of both thick and thin line rules. Normally this was the thick line outside and the thin line inside. We note these CDVs in both Europe and America. They were done in various colors. We're not sure yet about the dateing, but we notice American CDVs with these mixed line rules in the 1860s. These CDVs were done both with and without front prining. We note an American CDV with twin grey rules, a thick and thin line in 1865 (figure 1). This one did not have printing identifying the studio on the front. We notice another American example, Lizzie Parsons, in 1869.

Double Thin Lines

An American CDV at a very early date had double thin line red borders. We believe this card was made in 1864. That date is based on the copyright, so it could have been a year or two later, but we know it was a Civil War-era card, because the back has a Federal revenue stamp which dates the CDV to 1864-66. The border on the back was different from that on the front.

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Created: 7:23 AM 2/18/20077
Last updated: 10:18 PM 7/28/2007