Photograpic Studios: Services Offered


Figure 1.--W. L. Germon operated a photographic studio at 703 Chestnut St., Philadelphia during the 1860s. Like many bif city studios, he offered a wide range of services. This is the sticker he put on back of portraits framed for wall hanging. It listed the various services offered. Click on the image to see the painted over portrait framed here.

Photographic studios might offer a wide range of services. This varied as to the type of studio. An itinerant photograoher only offered one service, creating a photographic image--usually in a single format. Normally he had only a single plain backdrop. Carnival photographers also offered a narrow range of services, simple portraits, often tin-types. Small town photographers might offer a bit more than itinerate photographers. They usually has a choice of backdrop. And they would have arrangements with larger big-city studios for more sophisticated services. It was the big city photographers that offered the greatest choice. They might offer portraits in different formats. This varied by time. Studios in the 1850s might offer both Daguerrotypes and Ambrotypes or even tin-types. Studios in the 1860s often offerd albumen prints and Daguerrotypes, but soon they were primarily albumen prunts (both CDVs and cabinet cards). After the turn-of the 20th century we begin to see silver nitrate prints. Big city studios also offered clients a much greater choice of backdrops. It was the services offered that really destinguised big city studios. The sticker here is a good example of the range of services offered by a Philadelphia studio (figure 1). They could copy Daguerrotypes or other old photograpgs. This was helpful because unlike albumen prints (CDVs and cabinent cards), there was no negatibe as part of the Daguerrotype process. Ambrotypes were more difficult to copy. Albumen prints could be made in a range of sizes. CDVs and cabinet cards were done in standard sizes, in part so they would fit into albums. Clients could, however, order enlargements in various sizes. Color could be added through tinting or by painting over the print (water color, oil, pastels, or ink). There were many other types of portraits such as ivorytypes or opalotype.

Type of Studio

Photographic studios might offer a wide range of services. This varied as to the type of studio. An itinerant photographer only offered one service, creating a photographic image--usually in a single format. Normally he had only a single plain backdrop. Carnival photographers also offered a narrow range of services, simple portraits, often tin-types. Small town photographers might offer a bit more than itinerate photographers. They usually has a choice of backdrop. And they would have arrangements with larger big-city studios for more sophisticated services. It was the big city photographers that offered the greatest choice. They might offer portraits in different formats. This varied by time.

Daguerreotypists and Ambrotypists

Studios in the 1850s might offer both Daguerrotypes and Ambrotypes or even tin-types. They commonly offered one or the other, either Dags or Ambros because of the specialized equipment needed. And because ciooies could not be made and Dags and Ambros could not be enlarged, there was a very narrow range of services that the studios offered. Albumen prints appeared very suddenly on the scene. We believe that many Dag and Ambro studios shifted to albumen printing because of consumer demand.

Albumen Studios

Some studios in the 1860s often offerd albumen prints and Daguerrotypes or Ambrotypes, but soon they were primarily albumen prunts. The shift from these formats to albumen prunts was very rapid--a textbook example of response of an industry to consumer demand. Albumen studios in contrast to the Dag and Ambro studios began offering a wide range of services. The CDV which appeared in Europe during the late-1850s and in America during the very early-1860s. The CDV was followed by the cabinet card (1866). The cabinet card is smply aarger albumen print on larger card stock. Big city studios also offered clients a much greater choice of backdrops. It was the services offered that really destinguised big city studios. The sticker here is a good example of the range of services offered by a Philadelphia studio (figure 1). They could copy Daguerrotypes or other old photograpgs. This was helpful because unlike albumen prints (CDVs and cabinent cards), there was no negative as part of the Daguerrotype process. Ambrotypes were more difficult to copy. Albumen prints could be made in a range of sizes. CDVs and cabinet cards were done in standard sizes, in part so they would fit into albums. Clients could, however, order enlargements in various sizes. Color could be added through tinting or by painting over the print (water color, oil, pastels, or ink). There were many other types of portraits such as ivorytypes or opalotype.

Silver Nitrate Studios

After the turn-of the 20th century we begin to see silver nitrate prints.








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Created: 1:17 AM 8/6/2007
Last updated: 12:50 AM 6/28/2011