Recollections

Introductions

I will post occasional updates here that don’t exactly fit the format of the rest of the site. I may highlight a particular cabinet card or CDV or write about the drive to collect. We’ll see. These posts will be more personally driven and not as focused on presenting factual information only.

My name is Christopher L. Jorgensen and I collect cabinet cards. By default this means I also collect CDVs. I seldom set out to buy a CDV, but they are often included in photos sold as a lot. Or, sometimes, the subject of a cabinet card will also be the subject of a CDV, so if I can find a way to become vested in the subject matter I will pick one up. The majority of my collection, and my collecting, is focused on cabinet cards.

I hope you find this site of interest, but it’s more of a project for myself than anything else. What good is having a collection of anything if you can’t enjoy it? What good is having a collection you only peruse once in a great while? For some the owning may be enough, but for me I want to be able to revisit these images whenever I feel like it. Some Dark Place is an evolving project. It is part historical record, part cataloging of a personal collection, and partly an attempt to get my hobby under control.

Posted by Christopher L. Jorgensen on April 27 2024.

Preservation vs. Restoration

I do not attempt to correct any deficiencies in my cards. I do not eraser marks or try to clean stains.

My reasoning for this is simple. I am not a restorationist. It’s a skill set I do not have, and I am afraid that if I were to attempt to do things like remove stickers or dirt that I would just further damage the card. But I do my best to insure no new damage happens while in my care. I store the cards in archival sleeves when possible. I put them in photo boxes and keep them in a controlled temperature and humidity environment away from light and sunlight.

I also want to enjoy my collection though. I love looking at these cards. I digitize them with a scan and then put them away. The ones I like the most I occasionally pull out to look at. Mostly though I am happy to pursue the images here. These cards have lasted over a century. They aren’t going anywhere fast. So if anything I consider myself a collector first, and a preservationist second. I fully expect my collection to outlive me. I hope I will have been a good steward, and perhaps whoever takes over this role will actually be qualified to do the restorative work where required, but honestly, I think I’d rather just preserve the history (even if it is that of a dealer putting his initials to a card or some prior idiot damaging the card by removing a sticker).

Sometimes, I think I want a thousand cards and that once I get above that I’ll start paring down my collection. Other times I think I want ten thousand cards or even more! Why stop? Well, other than the obvious: time and money. Acquiring/purchasing, scanning, researching, dating, cataloging, tagging, sharing, and storing take more time than you would think. I spend an average of $2 on each card. I seldom get them cheaper than a dollar a card. Most I probably pay anywhere between $2-$5. I really dislike paying more than $4 a card, but sometimes I have to in order to get a particular example of something I want in my collection, or a particular image I have fallen in love with. I don’t know what the most I’v spent on a card is. Any amount I write will probably be quickly outdated. I know I’ve spent north of $20 on a few.