posted 09-02-2012 09:10 PM            

Silver "castle-top" card cases, showing architectural views, were popular in England in the first half of the 19th century. Most of the American ones I've seen seem to have been made by the Philadelphia company Leonard & Wilson, c. 1840s-50s.

From what I can tell from having seen a bunch of the cases, Leonard & Wilson had a number of dies in two or three sizes, which they used to stamp the backs and fronts of their card cases. They mixed and matched to assemble the cases. Often the front would show an important American building and the back would have rococo scrolls and flowers, but sometimes the back and front would each show a different building.

I have five Leonard & Wilson cases in two different sizes. At least, I THINK they're by Leonard & Wilson. None of mine is marked, but over the years I've seen examples of card cases with the company's L&W mark in each of the patterns I have, front and back. (A computer search for Leonard & Wilson card case generally turns up a bunch of examples, some marked and some unmarked.)

Does anyone have any more information about the company?

Okay, here are some photos of my L&W card cases. First, all five together. As you can see, four of mine are the same size--the smaller size--and the other is slightly larger. (None of them is quite long enough to hold one of today's standard American business cards.)

posted 09-02-2012 09:14 PM            

Each example has slightly different engraving on the (identical) church scenes.

Each of my three Trinity Church cases has a different pattern on the back (or the front, I guess, depending on which side you consider most important):

Here's a closer photo of one of the Trinity Church sides:

posted 09-02-2012 09:17 PM            

The cases are mighty fine indeed! Can you show the mark please.

Thank you.

posted 09-02-2012 09:24 PM            

And here's the view on the card case:

Note that not all the pillars and windows fit on the narrow card case.

posted 09-02-2012 09:26 PM            

None of my cases is marked! I don't want to violate forum policy by linking to a commercial site, but a computer search for Leonard & Wilson card case usually turns up a few marked examples.

posted 09-02-2012 09:34 PM            

Here's an ambrotype of the tomb from about the same time as the card case--c. 1850s--judging by the lady's clothes. (I hope it's okay to link to this, Scott.)

posted 09-02-2012 09:41 PM            

So does my favorite, the one with the goddess Hebe on the front, feeding ambrosia to Zeus in the form of an eagle:

The larger case--the one with the right-hand flower pattern--has an eagle on an oak branch on the front:

posted 09-02-2012 10:15 PM            

I've also seen cases in the bigger size--the size of my eagle--with a different, slightly more detailed version of the Capitol. And there's another shape, with straight sides and round corners, that I've never seen in person. And several other buildings that I can't identify.

posted 11-22-2013 04:26 PM            

Apparently there is also at least one other L&W variant image of the Capitol. I've seen (a photo of) a case with Trinity Church on one side and a different image of the Capitol on the reverse. I won't post a link to it because it's for sale on a commercial site, and I don't want to violate Scott's rules. It's the same size as my Trinity Church card cases, and the Capitol image has flags flying on the flagpoles, but taller domes and quite different scrolly, rococo leaves and squiggles.

I especially like the gigantic insects menacing the building on my new case (they're hovering over the top set of scrolls and flowers). Maybe we could get some gigantic insects to talk some sense into Congress.

posted 07-06-2016 01:00 PM            

Can anyone identify the buildings?

posted 09-09-2016 12:02 PM            

St Mawes Castle