This photograph shows the front cover of Photographisches Centralblatt in the alternate bound, cloth over board covers. This specific tooled cover is believed to have been issued by publisher Wilhelm Knapp as later years of this journal (1902) were published by them and are of the same size, design and materials.  This cover was an option for subscribers to the journal who wanted to keep yearly, half-year, or any number of issues together. Photographic journals (and many other special interest journals) of this period typically could be purchased at the end of the year or into the next as bound volumes from the publisher or a specialty bookstore without the regularly-issued, monthly card covers and advertisements. Alternately, subscribers could have their issues for the year bound by themselves in elaborate or very simple board covers by a local bookstore offering a book-binding service. To this end, subscribers receiving the December issue of a journal like the Centralblatt or another photographic journal would additionally receive a separate, loosely issued contents section for the entire year wrapped along with a title page to the volume which they could then bring in to the bookseller for binding.

Initials E. R. W. centered and at foot of board cover floral title motif is assumed to be that of artist responsible for its design.