Leatherbound Album of Carte de Visite photographs from c1865

San Francisco, CA: No Publisher. Very Good+. 1865. Hardcover. This is a full morocco leather photographic album with raised and tooled decorations and porcelain beads on the front and rear covers and raised and tooled decorations on the spine. This book also includes two brass clasps with decorations and porcelain beads. The binding, the clasps and the interior hinges on this book are all in Very Good or better condition. It's unusual for the clasps, with their raised decorations to be in such nice clean, intact condition. This is an early version of the "Hinged Back" photographic album patented by Altemus & Co. In 1863. "By 1864 Altemus was touting its special photographic album design. "It having the advantage of laying open perfectly flat..." Altemus had the patent for the "hinged back" design. As described by Altemus--" each leaf is attached to a small rod covered with morocco forming a separate hinge of its own, admitting the book to be opened to its full extent without danger of the slightest injury". " The album contains 42 carte de visite photographs from Sacramento, CA and San Francisco, CA . Some of the photos have notations discreetly in the lower margins. Several of the cards have been notated on the reverse - two are of particular interest : Joseph Levison and Mrs. J. Levison. There is a Joseph Levison naturalized 1866 in Northern California and this name also appears in regards to CA historical Landmark 654 : the first Jewish Synagogue owned by a congregation on the Pacific Coast. Joseph Levison was one of the officers of B'nai Israel who purchased the edifice. Both husband and wife were recorded in California's social register in San Francisco from the 1870s through the 1930s. .