Tuesday Treasures - March 25, 2025

First, an update on the "missing postcards" from yesterday's post.  I found them!  Right where I moved them.  I just forgot!  When I got some actual postcard storage boxes I separated the antique from the linen (lots of those, especially from Florida) and photochrom (modern).  The linen and newer were filed in the box by U.S. state, and the antique put in album pages.  Silly me to forget!  What a relief, I'd rather admit I forgot than that I'd donated them in error!

Now, today's Tuesday Treasures.

I didn't follow my own advice once again!  Although I did give the advice in February, and the item in question's post was in January, so there's my excuse.  

What advice?

To check behind what I can get behind. 
Or, take artwork or photos out of frames to see if anything is behind them.

You may remember this antique photo c1920s.

I wanted the frame for this antique (1785) copper engraving I bought last September for next to nothing.   I do collect antique (and vintage and even modern I find cheap and or free!) photographs, but don't display strangers, that seems odd to me!  The frame though... gorgeous.  The photo is skewed to avoid reflections.  Yes, it should have a mat, but it's an odd size, and the print is already water damaged and warped.

Getting to the point of my ignoring advice.

When I opened the back, which just took bending two small nails, I found this photograph!  It's older, late 1800s, when a touch of pink to the cheeks of sepia-toned photographs was popular.  It also has slight silvering, or silver mirroring.  The sepia tone is the result of the chemical toning process, also popular in the late 1800s,  that increased the longevity of the photo. 

Obviously a studio photograph, with what looks like a painted MARITAN, vertically, and L.A.   I find only one other photo online with name, P. Maritan, on a cabinet card from the 1890s.  Cabinet cards were printed on heavy paper to display on cabinets.  They were similar to carte-de-visite cards, used like calling cards, or exchanged like school photos, but larger.  

I gave good advice, now I just have to remember to take it!  Next Tuesday's post is on the postcards I mentioned yesterday.