William O. Alden Sr. (1884-1963)
circa 1888
scanned from a
cabinet card (6 1/2 by 4 1/4 inches)
by James N. Walton's photographic studio in Aurora, Indiana.
(Aurora was right across the Ohio River from Petersburg, Kentucky, where the Aldens lived.)
The cabinet card was first introduced in the 1860s, and by the 1880s, it had largely replaced the smaller "carte de visite" (2 1/2 by 4 inches) as the most popular form of portraiture.
With the introduction of the Kodak Brownie camera in 1900, people began taking their own portraits, and the cabinet card declined in popularity.
The gold beveled edges of this card date it to the period between 1885 and 1892.
Printed below the photograph on the front of the card:
"Walton, Aurora, Ind."
Printed on back of the card:
"From Jas. N. Walton's Photographic Studio,
Second Street Between Main and Mechanic, Aurora, Ind.
Negatives preserved for future orders.
The instantaneous process used exclusively.
Cloudy weather preferred for making photographs.
Pictures copied and enlarged."
This photo is in the public domain because it was created more than 95 years ago.
