1800s black mounts usually date to the 1890s, though there are a few examples from the late 1880s. The black mount Old Judge cabinets being the already stated examples.
It's larger than cabinet size and, all other qualities (including image subject) being the same, larger is better for 1800s photos. Larger means rarer and more displayable.
Photo mounts were mostly factory made and had specific colors and other physical qualities to different time periods. That's how you can date a photo by the mount color, thickness, embossment etc. You won't find an 1863 Robert E. Lee cabinet card with a black mount. It's like dating an antique car by its form and style. In dating a photo, you also look at the image-- as the uniform etc is important-- but the mount says a lot.
Last edited by drc; 04-23-2013 at 02:07 PM.
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