An examination and explanation of clues to establish the
date of 19th century photographs.
This Week's Photograph - December 3rd, 2012
About the Case Studies
Photo Facts
Photo Type
Card Photo
Image Size
2.75" x 2.75"
Card Size
3.75" x 3.75"
Edge Style
Serrated
Front Imprint
Very Small
Back Imprint
None
Print Technology
Collodion
Each week a new case study of a picture typical of 19th century 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 1890s ushered in a renaissance of photography innovation. Camera and photograph quality improved greatly, George Eastman introduced his first Kodak consumer camera, photo subjects were less stoic and expressed their real personalities; and a wide variety of new formats, photograph sizes, and card mounts were introduced late in the decade.
Photographs at this time still needed to be mounted on a stiffer card, as the photo paper was very thin and would curl tightly if not glued to a rigid surface. Card manufacturing processes greatly improved and much denser card stocks were introduced. Additionally, the dies and presses that made the cards could now stamp detailed textures and small precise cuts. The close up of a corner reveals the difference between this era card and earlier cabinet cards.
The 1896 Sears Roebuck catalog offers this type of card mount.
Studio Style
In the mid-1890s the studio style became much softer and lighter than the 1880s and early 1890s. Some of this was due to natural style changes which everyone copied. However, the new looks complimented the elegance of new papers. By the late 1890s, the albumen method of producing prints (and egg white base) was replaced by improved methods. The sepia era was coming to a close. The new photographs could have a variety of hues, but the trend towards a true black and white, or sometimes silvery look was in style. Also richer hues of brownish/purplish colors could be produced.
The busy and sometimes awkward backgrounds and multitude of props was disappearing also. These were replaced by light backgrounds and furniture, or a vignette look in which the background disappears completely. This picture is a classic example of the new photography style of the late 1890s.
Top Knot Hair Style
Beginning in the very late 1880s, hair styles included a knot or even pointed gathering of hair on the top of the head, sometimes towards the back. It became more pronounced and popular in the mid and late-1890s. It is so prevalent, we have a gallery dedicated to it. See more of these hair styles here.
Textured card surfaces and finely cut scallops would now hold up with on a denser and sturdier card mount. These became very popular in the late 1890s and soon gave way to an endless variety of options at the turn of the century.
You can become an expert at analyzing photographs.
Much of the information used in this 19th century photograph case study is covered in the Identification Section of this web site. In addition, comparison to similar yet dated photographs in the Gallery of 1000 Images will help confirm the estimates. Even greater detail, organized for this type of research is available in PhotoTree.com's books.