Unmounted Photo

Most commercially-produced photos printed on paper from the 1860's through about 1915 were mounted to cardboard stock, i.e. Mounts. Originally the sizes were constrained by the size of the photographic paper then available, i.e. Carte De Visite size, Cabinet Card size, Boudouir size, etc. Beginning in the 1890's, mounts could be found in a variety of sizes, due to the availability of different size film, easier enlargement techniques, and the fashion of offering a variety of sizes (from about 1900-1915). Mounts provided a border and stability to the image, yet some commercial images we find today were not mounted for various reasons, making them harder to date.