I have mentioned before how much I like the back of frames nearly as much as the front, and like a true frame nerd I regularly take photos of the backs, corners, and old labels. Here are a few examples showing some different joining methods: a butterfly key at the top, then a dovetail joint, the middle photo shows a Newcomb Macklin style ply spline, and the last two are mitre splines. There are some other methods used traditionally which I will post another time, I will also post some modern methods when I get a chance.
I think if you pick up an antique or old frame and see any of these joining methods, it straight away stands out as a very well crafted frame. I think old framers labels should be photographed for historical record, many are clearly fragile and should be protected with a piece of melinex.
