Why is there a white border around the photo? | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

Why is there a white border around the photo?

So that you see more of the photo.

When you frame a photo, there is usually a card surround between the glass and the photo. This card surround is called a 'mat'.

It is recommended to have an overlap of at least 0.25 inches between the mat and the photo you're framing. Without a border, this means the mat overlaps (hides) part of the photo.

In our case, the mat only covers the border, so all the photo can be seen.