From the 1880s there was a fashion to produce small novelty photographs either as prints on cards, buttons or imitation postage stamps. Photographs with the Holborn were made by re-photographing a print using a fancy border or mask. The resulting images could be contact printed onto paper with stamp-like perforations.

The Holborn was intended for amateur use and was, at 12/6, cheaply priced. It was sold with masks for carte de visite, cabinet and quarter-plate originals. Similar stamp cameras were sold by Sichel, J. Lancaster, Butcher (Royal Mail) and others. Stamp cameras were produced as early as 1887 (Hyatt).