Photo Album, Circa 1890, Foley Family

An attractive family album, with most of the photo slots still filled with photos, and a lovely floral diaper, colored with a rich gold and a variety of blues and teals, ornamenting the endpapers and framing the photo slots. 28 by 23 cm. 18 heavy card leaves, allowing for 36 CDV photographs, with all but two slots filled. The photos were almost all done professionally, with lovely studio backdrops of domesticated rural backdrops as were popular at the time. The majority are single person portraits, with a few small group portraits. Generally the photos are sharp and well-composed, and that is in comparison with other studio CDV photos of the period. A good number of the sitters are attractive, and that is taking into account the tricks of the trade to glamorize the plain. But by no means would all the sitters have been asked to model for Charles Dana Gibson. As typical, many of the photos have staged rustic and idyllic settings such as the practice by professional photographers of the day. The felt binding has been rebacked with cloth that is of a sufficently similar color that it blends in well, and with the original felt from the spine mounted onto it, one would hardly notice the repair. The binding is tight. The felt is worn, and even quite worn, in a number of places. Two of the decorative mounted letters from the front cover are missing -- the u and the m from the word "Album". A dusty light soiling pervades the margins within. A few of the photos have foxing. A few tears in the paper holding the photos down, etc. But compared to many photo albums of this age and type, the condition of the leaves housing photos is well above average. Hardcover. Felt. Decorative mDetal letters mounted on front board. Metal clasp pieces.…