Why a photo mat has an extra quarter of an inch on the bottom.

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	I've been asked many times why a photo mat has an extra quarter of an inch more on the bottom than it has on the sides and top. Take a look below for the answer and for those of you who are new to picture framing I'll explain about chosing matting for different size pictures. (MORE BELOW)

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Quarter inch more on the bottom of a mat.

There is always extra space on the bottom of a photo mat that can range anywhere from a quarter of an inch for smaller pictures up to a half or three quarters of an inch for larger pictures over about 20 to 24 inches in any dimension, either horizontal or vertical.

In days gone by the ceilings in most houses were considerably higher than they are in current times. The parlor, formal dining rooms and halls where most pictures were displayed would have ceilings up to 12 feet high and even higher in some cases. Framed pictures were displayed high on the walls near the ceiling and were tilted down from the top to make them easier to see. Even though the pictures were tilted for easier viewing the eye would perceive the sides, top and bottom as being unequal.

When the bottom of a mat is made a quarter of an inch larger than the sides and top of a picture mat the eye perceives all four portions of the mat as being equal when a picture is hung at an angle 12 feet up.

As pictures have been hung lower and lower on the wall until now where it's more common to have pictures at eye level the custom of having more mat at the bottom has stuck with us, so that equal measurements on both sides and top and bottom just don't have aesthetic appeal.