American Civil War Era Morocco Leather Photo Album With Brass Closures

Details

Description

On offer is an authentic Victorian family photograph album dating precisely to the Civil War or early post-Civil War era … Read more 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, and "Alice Seguy, Sister in law" join a remarkable collection of cousins in this album
For an item more than 150 years old, this album is in excellent antique condition. The leather shows expected light rubbing at the corner tips and spine edges. The page windows have minor water staining on the margins (particularly on the Cyrus Turner page) and typical small tears at the bottom slot seams where photographs were repeatedly slid in and out, which is universal for these albums. A photographer's studio stamp on the back of a photo may reveal the home community for this family, or even better, fill it with your own remembered relatives.
Signature/Maker’s Mark: Nonexistent. See less