Figure 1.--This CDV shows a transition from the 1860s to 70s. The white stockings, the blank wall, and the CDV format are all characteristic of the 1860s, but the informality of the pose is more like the 1870s. Also notice the drapery.

Backgrounds in the early CDVs in America tended to be very plain. Often they had the look of a room with a blank wall and little or no furniture. This look was very wide-spread in the 60s. Often a voluminous drape was employed. American CDVs are mostly from the 1860s or to a lesser extent the 70s. By the 1880s, cabinet cards had become more common. We note European CDVs were also often posed with atanding subject, but the empty room approach used in America is less common. We see interesting backgrounds and more furniture. The standing posture probably reflects the faster speeds of the emulsions. This may in part explain the greater use of backgrounds as well. We know less about European CDVs. The background of the European CDV on the previous page is more elaborate than most American 1860s CDVs. Even so, notice thst it is mostly blsnk. By the 1870s we see much more elaborate backgrounds, but CDVs were rapidly declining in popularity in America, especially after the mid-70s. They contiunued to be very cimmin in Europe into thec early-20th century.

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Created: 10:22 PM 3/13/2009
Last updated: 1:15 AM 3/14/2009