Figure 1.--This portrait was done at the Westhall Studio by H. E. Loveland. An inscription reads, "A Merry Christmas Francis Ring, Dec. 24th 1920." Thus we know who the boy is and when his portrait was taken. Francis looks about 3-4 yeats old. We are not sure how to describe his outfit, possibly an Oliver Twist suit. The photo is a 5" x 7" ptint. The paper fram has the mock ragged, heirloom loo--the deckle edgek. This is a particularly severe deckle frame edge. Click on the image for more information about Francis.

We note paper frames for studio portraits were done with rough edges. This effect was called deckled edges. We would describe them as mock ragged edges. I think the idea behind them was to give the portrait an antique aging look that made them look like a trasured family heirloom. This probably reflects the fact that early paper had a deckle edge. We are not sure about the time-line for these ragged edges. There were different degrees of these rough edges. Some frames on had sligtly rough edges. Others had very deeply roughened ragged looking edges. We are not yet sure about the time-line here. We think that they were most common in the 1920s abd we see them throuhout the decade. We think they first appeared in the 1920s and we still see some in the 30s. We are unsure about country trends. The examples we have found are American. We are not yet sure if these roughended edges frames weee popular in other countries.

Deckle Edge Frames

We note paper frames for studio portraits were done with rough edges. This effect was called deckled edges. We would describe them as mock ragged edges. I think the idea behind them was to give the portrait an antique aging look that made them look like a trasured family heirloom. This probably reflects the fact that early paper had a deckle edge.

Deckle Edge Paper

This rough-edged paper is called deckle or some times feather edges. Deckle usually mean the board under part of the wire in early paper making machines. It was needed to support the pulp as it began to form. Later the rough edge of hand made paper began to be reffered to as deckle or feather edge. This rough edge formed where the stock or gogealing pulp flows against the deckle. The pulp in early paper machines flowed between the frame and the mold deckle. This was seen as a defect in the paper making and book binding process. Thus book binfers tended to trim the edges of the sheets. to create a smmoth edge. Over time collectors of old books looked for signs of the dekle. In the 19th century, people began to admire the deckle edge in itself and it began seen as an antique or hand made paper look. There are ways to artifically make dickle edges even with machine made paper, using jets of water and air. Deckle edges can also be cut with special knife. There are various other methods of producking the deckle edge. Handmade paper sheets normally has the rough deckle edges on all four edges while machinemade paper has only two deckle edges. The deckle edge in modern books printed on machine-made paper is basically an affectation.

Frame Chronology

We are not sure about the time-line for these ragged edges. There were different degrees of these rough edges. Some frames on had sligtly rough edges. Others had very deeply roughened ragged looking edges. We are not yet sure about the time-line here. We think that they were most common in the 1920s abd we see them throuhout the decade. We think they first appeared in the 1920s and we still see some in the 30s.

Country Trends

We are unsure about country trends. The examples we have found are American. We are not yet sure if these roughended edges frames weee popular in other countries.

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Created: 10:11 PM 9/11/2008
Last updated: 1:33 AM 9/12/2008