Figure 1.--Amateur photography existed in the late-19th century, but was limited because it was complicated and expensive. The American company Eastman Kodak changed this when it introduced the Brownie. Suddenly anyone with only the most minimal knowledge of photography could take inexpensive family snapshots. Many were inintially printed with postcard backs. These prints can be dated wased on the stamp boxes anad other features. Family snap shots were printed in huge numbers. The prints were done in many sizes, shapes, margins and edges. Here we have a 1955 snapshot. Notice the square shape, wide wide margins, and ragged edges. It was 3.1/2 in square.

Canadian photographic trends especially by the 20th century seem very similar to American trends with mattes and paper frames as well as postcards similar or identical to those in America. This is important because the chronological trends we have developed for American trends are similar for Canadian photography. It is more difficult to develop a similar chronology for Canada because we have far fewer images. We see quite a range of photographs in the 20th century. We still note some albumen prints, including both cabinet cards and CDVs in the 1900s, but they are rapidly being replaced with silver nitrate printing. Amateur photography existed in the late-19th century, but was limited because it was complicated and expensive. The American company Eastman Kodak changed this when it introduced the Brownie. Suddenly anyone with only the most minimal knowledge of photography could take inexpensive family snapshots. Many were inintially printed with postcard backs. These prints can be dated wased on the stamp boxes anad other features. Family snap shots were printed in huge numbers. The prints were done in many sizes, shapes, margins and esges. Studio photography continued, producing at first cabinet cards and CDVs, but then postcard back portraits or portraits in paper frames. The style of the frames can help date the studio photography.

Created: 4:05 AM 5/2/2017
Last updated: 4:05 AM 5/2/2017