Victorian Album

We tend to think of the digital age as the age when photography came into its own. Yet the Victorians embraced the image of self and family with such enthusiasm. Some years 400 million photographs were sold. The family album looked like a bible with heavily tooled leather covers and thick gold edged pages, and a clasp holding it together, as shown in today's blip. This was the family tree in photographs. As time went on a later generations could be added. 

The photographer's studio was the place to buy the album. Look how formal these pictures are. If everyone had one, then to fill the album, your family were required to have their photo taken and send one to you - so an album could have  thirty different studio backmarks in it.  Therefore each studio visit produced at least six photos, five to be sent off - a bit like a modern pyramid scheme! However, if digital family photographs are not organised into an online book or sorted into an album many will disappear into the ether!