Located in San Francisco, CA
On offer is an authentic Victorian family photograph album dating precisely to the Civil War or early post-Civil War era (circa 1860–1875). Albums of this exact scale and heavy construction were specifically engineered to hold the newly invented, rigid paper-and-cardboard photographs of the 19th century.
The binding is made of thick Morocco leather (goatskin) dyed black. It features deep, heavy machine-stamped geometric and cartouche embossing typical of the Gothic Revival and Renaissance Revival tastes of the 1860s.
The double hinged brass clasps were not purely decorative; they were functional necessities designed to exert constant pressure on the book. This kept the thick, porous internal cardboard pages from warping or absorbing ambient moisture. The lower clasp features an elegant, cast floral/leaf relief pattern.
The spine is heavily ribbed with raised bands and features the word "Album" stamped in a stylized Gothic or Old English gilt font.
The heavy paper blocks are finished with gilt edges, which helped seal the paper from dust and smoke damage.
The rectangular window cutouts with rounded corners indicate this album was made for Cartes de Visite ("visiting cards" in French). These small, 2.5" x 4" paper photographs mounted on cardboard backing were wildly popular during the Civil War, leading to a phenomenon known as "Cardomania" where families traded portraits.
The gold-leaf or printed double-border lines surrounding each photo window are a signature trait of early 1860s photographic albums.
The inside covers feature beautiful, block-printed chromolithograph endpapers with fine purple and gold floral vine patterns, which are in remarkably clean condition.
Handwritten pencil inscriptions added beneath the windows throughtout provide incredible historical and family value throughout. For example "Uncle Cyrus Turner,” "Niece & Nephew, Georgia & Frank Parker...
Category
Mid-19th Century American Victorian Antique Escada Furniture