Back in the days when photography was in its infancy, the first photographs (daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, and tintypes) were vulnerable to scratching, oxidations, and breakage and required some form of protection. Small, decorative cases offered an effective solution and, because miniature cases had been manufactured for various purposes well before the photographic developments of the 1830s they were quickly adapted to meet photographic needs.
Case art began as a cottage industry, initially involving laborious hand fabrication and assembly. Little documentary information is available but, after photography’s announcement in 1839, special cases with embossed covers became a satellite art of the image-making trade. Growing consumer demand for “daguerreotype cases” prompted early casemakers and competition was intense among jewel casemakers, surgical instrument casemakers, and wood box manufacturers. However, a skilled and specialized group of artists quickly emerged to create a huge range of cases designed specifically for use in the photographic trade. Regrettably, as in other art forms with cottage origins, most casemakers did not sign their work, so today’s catalogers find it difficult to identify specific manufacturers unless the cases contain advertising labels. Today early photo cases are generically called “daguerreotype cases” of which three general classifications include: wood-framed cases (with embossed paper or leather covers), thermoplastic cases (synonymously called Union, hard, and composition), and novelty cases (distinguished by innovative production processes and design styles).
Of all the cases manufactured, with the exception of novelty and unusual styles, the Union Case is perhaps the most popular among today’s collectors. This type of case was introduced during the early 1850s and was more substantial than its paper- and leather-covered counterparts. Heavier in weight and sturdier than wood-framed cases, plastic composition added a new dimension to case art design. These cases featured deeper, more visually remarkable, designs in relief and were thus more elegant and aesthetically pleasing than embossed paper- and leather-covered cases. Most were produced in black or brown with a few rare exceptions in brighter colors.
Before the “all plastic” Union Case came into vogue, various casemakers experimented with plastic compositions. Transitional wood-framed cases (with tapered borders, leather spines, and hook-and-eye closures) were produced with attached molded thermoplastic panels on the top. A similar book-style design was also manufactured. The first molded thermoplastic case was introduced in the United States in 1853, and on October 3, 1854 pioneer photographer Samuel Peck of New Haven, Connecticut, patented the first plastic case. Finely ground sawdust and shellac were pressed and steam-heated to create a thick, shapeable product, which was then tinted with dyes to achieve the desired color. The colored substance was pulled through heated rollers to form thin sheets of plastic. The sheets, in turn, were inserted into molds or dies and pressure was applied. Finally, the product was cooled to take the shape and design of the mold.
Peck’s earliest Union Cases were designed with wide, undecorated borders and brass hook-and-eye clasps; but, while Peck may have been the first casemaker to patent and mass produce plastic daguerreotype cases, a natural plastic material had been used for other items for many years. These items were produced from a vegetable source obtained from the gutta percha tree, which grew in areas near the equator. Interestingly, although some collectors use the term “gutta percha case,” no documentary evidence exists to prove that gutta percha was ever used in making composition photo cases. Pioneer plastic cases are most correctly called “thermoplastic,” “composition,” “hard,” or “Union” cases. Speculation suggests that the term “Union Case” may have been chosen by Peck to signify a merging of product and process, or it may have been a reference to the federal government. Either way, the trade name “Union” remained unregistered and other manufacturers adopted Peck’s nomenclature, compelling Peck to advertise as early as 1854 that S. Peck and Company were the “sole manufacturers of genuine Union Cases.”
Union Cases give the appearance of hard rubber, but they lack rubber’s durability, and are not chip or crack resistant. However, because they were designed with hinges on the spine, they are less inclined to splitting apart than leather bound cases are. Hinge configurations in Union Case design appear to have been something of an issue among manufacturers. For his early cases, Samuel Peck used a non-riveted, embedded hinge, which tended to become detached from the case. Later Peck cases used an embedded and riveted hinge design, which stabilized the hinge but caused damage to the cases during the production process of securing the hinge. On February 5, 1856, Peck was issued a patent for “Fastening for the Hinges of Daguerreotype-Cases” which described the design for an improved, imbedded hinge with metal support straps pressed into and surrounded by the plastic composition. Competitors adapted this design to include a single pin. Among them, Alfred Critchlow designed “twice-bent leave hinges” (patented on October 14, 1856) which were not merely hinges attached to a case side but, rather, hinges, which embraced three sides of the case (top, side, and inside).
Union Cases were produced in all standard case sizes as well as in oval and octagonal forms and featured popular Victorian design elements: scrolls, florals, scenics, historical depictions, and patriotic sentiments. As with all collectibles, age, uniqueness, rarity, quality, condition, and artist identification set the standards for value. In the absence of contemporary production records or trade catalogs, uniqueness and rarity are typically determined by the number of times a particular case design appears in collections and how often a design is offered for sale. Certain case designs are more popular among today's collectors and therefore generate higher sticker prices. Other cases become “rare” collectibles because they do not often appear in the marketplace. As in all areas of collecting, condition is an important criterion. Union Cases, judging from the number of patents for improved hinges, have always experienced “back problems” and intact cases are worth more than those with damaged hinges. Half cases (with a missing pad or image side) are greatly reduced in price. In some instances, antique photographs and the cases in which they are presented are sold as units with both photograph and case determining value. A case containing an important early photograph will be priced proportionately higher than a case of identical design with no photograph or a photo of little significance. In general, Union Case values can range from as little as twenty-five to several hundred dollars.
Reproduction paper- and leather-covered cases are not recorded; however, new plastic cases enter the marketplace. Easily identified, these cases are typically injection molded rather than press molded and are lighter in weight than authentic nineteenth century plastic cases.
Paper photographs and the popularity of photo albums were largely responsible for the demise of the Union Case industry, which lingered through the 1860s with hope for revival in the manufacture of “Sweetheart Cases” designed to contain small, round tintypes and consisting of an oreo-like construction with top and bottom parts held together by friction fittings or screwed threads. By 1870, the Union Case was passé. Today, however, early plastic cases are highly collectible and, like the photographs they hold, are important components of photographica history that record the time before such modern developments as digital cameras, Photoshop, and YouTube.