Binding – Habenicht, A. – Photographien.

Very rare, signed and dated – A. Habenicht, Wien 1858 – binding for a box to host photographs or related items. – This decoration style appears to be a gauffering (or goffering) technique combined with gold tooling, often used in fine leather bookbindings. – This kind of decoration is common in Victorian-era bindings (mid-to-late 19th century), particularly for luxury books like Bibles, poetry collections, or photograph albums. The use of gauffering (heated blind tooling with added pigment) was particularly fashionable in Continental European and English bookbinding traditions. This pattern would typically be found on deluxe leather bindings, especially on the inside covers or spine. It might belong to a fine binding of a religious book, a poetry collection, or a Victorian-era photograph album. This is an elaborate antique book binding, from the mid-19th century, featuring ornate metalwork and leather. The cover appears to be made of tooled leather, possibly calfskin or goat leather, which has aged to a warm brown patina. The four corners are adorned with intricate pierced silver or silver-plated brass fittings, which were common in high-end bindings from the Victorian era. The center has a delicate metal cut-out pattern, possibly inspired by Gothic or Renaissance revival styles. The central medallion contains a small plaque with an inscription ‘Photographien’, which suggests this might have been a personalized family album or an important document holder. The elaborate decorations indicate it was a high-status item, made in Austria. The metalwork, particularly the filigree-style cutouts, suggests influence from Gothic Revival design, which was prevalent in the mid-19th century. Given the central inscription and overall style, this is most likely a Victorian-era photo album, used to store cabinet cards or carte de visite photographs. These were commonly gifted or kept as family heirlooms.