a cabinet card of four children with the highlights burnt out.
Toronto. Old photo collectors are an interesting bunch. The fully exposed image is sought but a less than perfect one fits the bill until a better one is spotted and the less than ideal photo becomes suitable for trade.
An example of this issue is shown in the cabinet card photo at left, where the obviously beautiful subjects suffer from burnt out highlights – whether the highlights were given insufficient exposure/development or the delicate silver halides have faded over time and poor washing.
These four children were photographed together in I. V. Stafford’s Harriston, Ontario (about 100km NW of the big smoke) studio in the 1860s give or take.
The collectors out there can hone their skills at our 2026 events. Next on the agenda is our outdoor Trunk Sale on July 12th. Details will be pinned here later this month.
NB: The title of this post is a riff on a line in the c1966 Beatles song, “Eleanor Rigby“.
