An examination and explanation of clues to establish the
date of 19th century photographs.
This Weeks Photograph - February 6, 2012
Photo Facts
Photo Type
Cabinet Card
Card Size
4.25" x 6.5"
Card Color
Beige
Card Edges
Beveled
Front Imprint
Deep Emboss
Back Imprint
Full Artwork
Print Technology
Albumen
About the Case Studies
Each week a new case study of a picture typical of old family photographs will be published.
These examples can help genealogists learn the skills that will help date their own photos.
An estimated date (if one was not available) will be given with a +/- number of years it could be. Dating old photos is a science that provides answers usually within 2 - 6 years of when the photo was taken.
The card mount of this cabinet card offers the most profound clue as to a close date of the photograph.
In the last half of the 1990s, new cards made of dense, compressed, card stock became available.
Its solid construction allowed for deep embossing of the front imprint and border areas. Also, many cards returned to sharp square corners. Prior to this, cards had rounded corners to minimize 'dog eared' damage. These cards were so dense they could withstand corner wear.
The young man's clothes show the modern look of the 1890s. His hair is probably in place with the help of hair cream or oil, though not as thick as some examples.
Documented Date: 1895
While this cabinet card included a printed date of 1895 on the back, the card construction is found in the late 1890s. Matter of fact, this is the earliest example of this type of card PhotoTree has seen.
Click here for other late 1890 cabinet cards that were produced with newer card stock.
Back Imprint Information
This cabinet card was fortunately dated on the back. The date was a convenience for the photographer as well as the customer. If the customer desired a reprint, the photographer could find the negative easier from the dated card.
Instructions for reordering are included on the card above the date. (See image below left)
Unfortunately not all photography studios used this self documentation. It would certainly help genealogists in dating their old photographs.
The new card stock could be embossed very deep and retain a crisp look to the artwork and text.
The borders of this card were embossed also, and the card had square corners.
You can become an expert at analyzing photographs.
Much of the information used to analyze this photograph is covered in the Identification section of this web site. In addition, comparison to similar yet dated photographs in the Gallery section will help confirm the estimates. Even greater detail, organized for this type of research is available in PhotoTree.com's books. Learn More.