Figure 1.--Here we see a lady in a fashionable hat and her two sons wearing Norfolk knickers suits. The snapshot was taken in 1914. Note the narrow white borders with rounded corners. The family lived on Echo Grove Avenue in Lynn, Massachusetts.

At first all snapshots were black and white. We begin to see color snao shots in the inter-War period, but color did not become common until the 1970s. There were two different formats for the new snapshots and many varied chracteristics. Assessing these characteristics can provide some useful information. Many of the early snapshots were done with postcard backs. This was at first very common. This facilitated sending them to friends and family. Thee potcard pritscwere generally done without frames,the image continuing to the edge of the orint. As regular prints became more common, we begin to see white borders. Prints were usually done with white borders. This was not for the esthetics, but it had to do with the wat snapshots were printed. The edges had to be held down and were thus not exposed. The sizes and aspect ratio of the prints varied. This was in part a reflection of the size and shape of the negatives. The borders varied in size and we begin to see serrated or irregular edges and not just smooth edges. There were also different ways of doing the edges. There were clean cut edges, jagged edges, and pinking. We also see prints without borders, but this was primarily when color photograojhy became more common in the 1970s. There were also rounded corners as well as differet shaped prints. The first prints were mostly rectangular following the conventions of the CDVs and cabinet cards. We begin to see square prints in the inter-War era. These various chracteristics are of same practical importance. All these factors, including borders, margins, shapes, edges, and corners can be used to help date photograohic snap shots,mot of which are undated. Mos of the images we ave are American. The time line for these various characteristics may vary somewhat from country to country.

Black and White Prints

At first all snapshots were black and white. There were two different formats for the new snapshots and many varied chracteristics. Assessing these characteristics can provide some useful information. Many of the early snapshots were done with postcard backs. This was at first very common. This facilitated sending them to friends and family. Thee potcard pritscwere generally done without frames,the image continuing to the edge of the orint. As regular prints became more common, we begin to see white borders. Prints were usually done with white borders. This was not for the esthetics, but it had to do with the wat snapshots were printed. The edges had to be held down and were thus not exposed. The sizes and aspect ratio of the prints varied. This was in part a reflection of the size and shape of the negatives. The borders varied in size and we begin to see serrated or irregular edges and not just smooth edges. We are just beginning to soirt out the chronolohies. There were also different ways of doing the edges. There were clean cut edges, jagged edges, and pinking. We also see prints without borders, but this was primarily when color photograojhy became more common in the 1970s. There were also rounded corners as well as differet shaped prints. The first prints were mostly rectangular following the conventions of the CDVs and cabinet cards. We begin to see square prints in the inter-War era. These various chracteristics are of same practical importance. All these factors, including borders, margins, shapes, edges, and corners can be used to help date photograohic snap shots,mot of which are undated. Mos of the images we ave are American. The time linevfor these varioys characteristics may vary somewhat from country to country.

Color Prints

From a very early point, color photography was the holy grail of photography. Consumers wanted color prints ay before they even existed. As a result. early photographers tinkerd with the chenmistry almost from the start. This at first meant work on Daguerreotype. A Reverend Hill in America claimed to have achieved colored images (about 1850). He refused to provide details on his complicated process because the Parent Office rejected his parent application. Acusations of fraud followed and he was largely descredited. He abandoned photography. Examinations of surviving Hillotypes show that he actually achieved some muted colors, although he enhanced some of his images with dyes. Of course Hilloptypes wee a type of Daguerreotype so actualprints were not posdible. Unable to provide color photographs, studios began colorizing their images. Patrons could also order color paintinhs based on the black-and-white portraits. It would not be until the turn-of-the 20th century that we see some true color photiographs. A Russian produced the first really beautiful color prints. He left some woindrfulimages of Tsarist Russia. The process was, however, very complicated and not suitable for commercial development. And after World War I that commercial process appeared that allowed amateur photographers to take color snapshots. Agfa in Germany and Kodak in America were the leaders. Early color prints like black-and-white prints had white borders. Color film was, however, very expensive and World War II disrupted normal marketing and production operations. It was not until after the War that color film was widely available. At first it was mostly slides (tranparencies). Color prinys were still very expensive in the 1950s, but see see more in the 60s and color geberally replaced black-and-white prints by the late-1970s. Black and white by the 80s in America was generally confined to arts photiographers who prepered to shoot in black and white. We still see some blavk abd white prints from other countries,especially the East Block where the transition to color was slower.

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Created: 8:59 AM 4/29/2012
Last updated: 10:04 AM 6/11/2012