Figure 1.-- This is a CDV photo of a boy wearing a fancy, knee pants sailor suit with white trim. He is identified as, “Brewster O Beebe”, although the last name is unclear. Perhaps HBC readers can make out the writing better. The portrait was taken on August 6, 1874 by Mosher in Chicago, Illinois. The CDV had a maroon colored back. Put your cursor on the image to see the back.

Often CDVs with blank fronts did have printed lettering on the back, although the printing on the back was very basic for early cards. This appears to have been the case from a basic early period. We note many blank cards in the 1860s. Some were also blank on the back, but we see some with prinying on the back. By the 1860s blank cards were less common and the printing on the back becomes much more elaborate. We even see colored bacls being used.

The 1860s

CDVs first appeared in numbers during the 1860s. It did not immediately occur to the photographers to use the mounts to publicize the studios. Also for very small operations the printed mounts were additional expense. As a result, we see quite a number of blank cards in the 1860s. Some were completely blank, others had printing on the back identifying the studio. Both alternatives were very common in the 1860s. Completely blank cards were seen in the early 60s, but by the mis-60s we commonly see the printed backs. The printing tended to be very basic without any elaborate designs or illustrations.

The 1870s

We still see blank cards in the 1870s, although not as commonly as in the 60s. And most blank cards had prining on the back. The printing soon became much more elaborate. We note by the 1870s very fancy printed backs with fancy lettering, designs, and scrolls. We also notice backs done in dark colors with light-colored printing, sometimes with a good look. The CDV here taken in 1874 is a good example (figure 1). These colored backs were much less common than the backs in the same colors as the fronts. There may be country fifferences here. We note many British cards included the name of the studio and city in the 1870s. This seems less common in America where we see quite a number of CDVs with blank fronts in the 1870s.

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[Sailor suits] [Sailor hats] [Buster Brown suits]
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Created: 3:44 AM 3/3/2007
Last updated: 3:44 AM 3/3/2007