The card photograph was in invented in 1859, just in time for young men going off to serve in the Civil War, to have their portrait taken for the folks at home. Card photographs were easier and less expensive to produce than tintypes and daguerreotypes. They also provided a better quality of image. It was printed on thin paper which was glued to stiff card stock. The most common size was 2 3/8 x 4 ¼ inches. By the 1870s the size of the image had doubled. This allowed photographers to add props and scenery to the pictures.

The publishers of family Bibles saw an opportunity to create large albums in which to keep family photographs. The Sandburg family, like many other families who had worked themselves out of poverty, had a large Bible and a photograph album resting on the table in the center of the parlor. Carl described the album as having red plush covers with a nickel-plated clasp. The children loved to work the clasp and look at the photographs inside. They could see what their parents looked like when they first married.

The family album became a kind of genealogical record of members of the family. Portraits of the next generations would be added as they came along. The parents told stories to accompany the pictures on the pages. The stories taught the children about their heritage.

Young people often had their pictures taken and these would be added to the family album. They also exchanged the cards with their friends. Some people collected cards of famous people and added them to the family album. Girls might use some of their handcrafting skills to decorate the pages.

When there were visitors to the home, the album would be opened so other relatives and friends could view the photographs. The accompanying conversation told visitors of the accomplishments of family members.

To our eyes the old photographs look stiff and don't reveal much about the personality of the individual. Photographers of the time were attempting to copy the style of painted portraits. We don't know the family stories that were told about each person represented in an album.

The family photograph album became an important item in many homes and was treasured for generations afterward. It was a family record, a social register, entertainment, an advertisement for the local photographer because his name and address was always printed on the card, as well as a gallery of famous personages of the time.

In the late 1880s, when George Eastman put his camera and film processing system on the market, the keeping of family albums changed. The pictures were not as formal. They caught family activities, such as picnicking or other casual occasions. The people in the snapshots were relaxed and informally dressed.

Many years later, when Carl Sandburg visited Sweden, he met cousins who still had snapshots Clara Sandburg had sent to them. They were a reminder of the relatives who lived in America and had a well known and accomplished son.