Cabinet Cards

Thompson & Son was a 19th-century photographic studio located at 75 King St. E., Toronto, operating in the Late Victorian era (roughly 1885–1905). The firm produced historical portrait formats like vintage carte de visite (CDV) and cabinet cards. The sepia-toned cabinet cards and CDVs featured local citizens, often bearing the embossed or stamped studio signature "Thompson & Son, Toronto" on the decorative mount. The carte de visite or 'visiting card', (abbr. CdV) was a format of small photograph which was patented in Paris by photographer André Adolphe Eugène Disdéri in 1854, although first used by Louis Dodero in 1851. I have such a photo of my great-grandfather (born 1877) likely taken in the early to mid 1890s.

Each card was the size of a formal visiting card about 4½ x 2½ inches and such photograph cards, were commonly traded among friends and visitors in the 1860s onward. Albums for the collection and display of cards became a common fixture in Victorian parlors. The popularity of the format and its rapid uptake worldwide were due to their relative thrift, which made portrait photographs accessible to a broader demographic, and prior to the advent of mechanical reproduction of photographs, led to the publication and collection of portraits of prominent persons. It was the success of the carte de visite that led to photography's institutionalization.

The carte de visite was usually an albumen print from a collodion negative on thin paper glued onto a thicker paper card. The size of a photo was approximately the size of a business card, mounted on a card sized 2.5 in × 4 in. The logo of the photographer was generally printed on the front or back, as both protection of copyright and advertising.

A collodion negative was a transparent glass photographic plate coated with a light-sensitive nitrocellulose emulsion, invented in 1851 by Frederick Scott Archer. It dominated photography until the late 1800s because it combined sharp detail with the ability to make unlimited paper prints. An albumen print is a 19th-century photographic technique that uses egg whites, salt, and silver nitrate. Invented in 1847 by Louis Désiré Blanquart-Evrard, it was the dominant photographic printing process from the 1850s through the 1890s.

High-quality paper is coated with a mixture of egg white (albumen) and salt. The paper is next treated with a silver nitrate solution to make it sensitive to light. A negative is placed directly on the paper and exposed to sunlight ("printed out" without chemical development). The print is usually toned with gold chloride to improve stability and create rich brown or purple tones. The surface is glossy and smooth, because the image sits on top of the egg-white layer rather than sinking into the paper fibers. They are very sharp with clear details. As they age, the photo often shows a yellowed or faded look due to silver oxidation and the natural aging of the albumen layer.

The Milk Cartage Business

In the early 1900s, the milk cartage business relied heavily on horse-drawn delivery wagons and large metal churns. Local dairies sent milkmen, like my great-grandfather, on daily pre-dawn routes to supply fresh milk, often before breakfast, serving as an essential community service before modern home refrigeration was widespread.

The horses were often highly trained, learning all the regular stops and walking alongside the milkman automatically. Early electric and motorized delivery trucks started appearing in the 1910s, though horse-drawn wagons remained the backbone of delivery operations well into the mid-20th century.

Up until the early 1900s, milkmen frequently dipped milk directly from large barrels or churns into pails and jars brought out by residents. Glass bottles with cardboard caps gradually became the industry standard in major urban centers. When bottled milk became the means of delivery, many houses had a small opening in the wall of the house with a latched door on each side, and this is where the milkman left your order.

I remember one time, when my father accidentally locked himself out of the house, that he lowered me feet first into the house via the milk box so I could unlock the door from inside. That milk box door inside is locked with a bolt lock now. It’s a different world than it was.

Do you remember getting milk delivery when you were young? I do. Let me know if you remember that too.

My Great-Grandfather - David Franklin Middleton

While perusing the old archives of my local newspaper, I came across this obituary for my great-grandfather. It details a lot about his life, things I never knew. Here it is in its’ entirety, as well as a photo of him as a young man (not in the newspaper obituary)…

OBITUARY – Richmond Hill Liberal - September 25, 1947 - page 3

DAVID F. MIDDLETON: Carrville community sustained a deep loss in the death of David F. (Franklin) Middleton on Friday, September 19th in his 71st year. Mr. Middleton was born in 1877 in Pickering township but his parents dying at an early age he went to live with his uncle, George Topper of Humber Summit, Vaughan township.

In 1900 he married Sebbie Rowntree who predeceased him by seven months. They resided at Thistletown where Mr. Middleton was engaged in the milk cartage business, later farming in the Weston Thistletown district. In 1921 he purchased the Shell farm on concession 2, Vaughan township where he resided until 1928 when he built his home in Carrville and engaged in market gardening.

Mr. Middleton was a great lacrosse enthusiast and was a lifelong supporter and promoter of the national game, first at Weston, and later at Richmond Hill and district. He was a staunch supporter of the church, being a former member of Humber Summit Congregational Church, later transferring to Carrville United Church where he served as steward and elder.

Mr. Middleton was a Conservative in politics and a member of the I.O.O.F. (Independent Order of Odd Fellows). Surviving are one son Robert of Carrville, and two daughters, Mrs. J. Oliver (Sadie) of Mill Road and Mrs. J. Barton (Myra) of Carrville, three sisters, Mrs. White of Moose Jaw, Sask.; Mrs. Stonehouse of Reston, Man., and Mrs. Adamson of Ernfold, Sask., and one brother, Mr. Fred Middleton of Thistletown, also seven grandchildren.

Services were held in Carrville United Church Monday, September 22, Rev. Dr. J. S. Duncan, assisted by Rev. Kent, officiating. Pallbearers were Ernest Bone, Frank Scott, Dean Wilson, William Stott, Elmer Middleton, Robert Wilson.

I posted a previous blog post about my great-grandparents that you can check out (here). The one major discrepancy is the year of their marriage which official records list as 1901. Since I never met him as he was gone long before I was born, it put a real 'picture' of his life in my view.

40 Words

I recently found this list of 40 words that most English speakers do not know. As I looked over the list, I tried to think about how many I knew or knew of and how many I had actually ever used.

Take a look at the list below...

How many are you familiar with? For me, I honestly have to say only about 12 of the words seem familiar to me, and at least one I've used to represent something other than it's real meaning. I will attempt to get acquainted with them all and try to incorporate them into my daily conversations somehow. Wish me luck!

More Junk Journal Questions

Can junk journals have a theme? Absolutely, you can make them for any theme or event you choose. Some examples: Christmas, Halloween, a family vacation, a recipe log, an art journal, your sewing projects, inspirational quotes, etc. The list is only limited by your imagination. Or like my personal journal, it can be totally random. You get to choose what works for you.

What size are junk journals? Well, they can be any size you want, big or small, from 2" X 3" to 9" X 12" or anything in between. They can have only one signature or multiple signatures. And before you ask, a signature is a stack of papers folded in half and nested together to form a single "section" of a journal. They are then stitched into the journal's spine to build the complete journal. My personal journal is a single signature, about 5.5" X 9".

Do you have to use only recycled, repurposed, and secondhand materials? This is where the definition of ‘junk journal’ runs into varied opinions. Some say that a journal only qualifies for the distinction if it is made exclusively with recycled, repurposed, and secondhand materials. This question has been much debated in the crafting community. And I'm sure the debate will continue.

However, the term is often associated with any handmade journal, even if new papers, printed digitals and scrapbook papers are used. In my experience, most handmade journals are a combination of new and used paper & ephemera. At the end of the day, if you want to call it a junk journal, that’s what it is. If you simply want to call it a handmade journal, that’s okay too.