THE CABINET CARD GALLERY

This beautiful cabinet card portrait captures a poised young woman standing before an elaborately painted studio backdrop that mimics the entrance of a Victorian home. The composition and artistry of the scene make this image especially striking—it feels almost like a moment from a story rather than a simple studio portrait. The woman stands confidently, one hand resting lightly on the doorframe, as though she has just stepped out to greet a visitor. She wears a long, dark gown fitted neatly through the bodice with a row of buttons running down the front and a modest, high white collar at her neck. Her skirt flows to the floor, and her hair is arranged neatly in a soft updo, typical of fashion from the late 1880s to mid-1890s. Her expression is calm and direct, her gaze meeting the camera with quiet assurance. The backdrop behind her is unusually detailed for the period. It depicts a beautifully painted architectural façade with carved brickwork, leafy vines climbing along the wall, and a doorway framed by decorative panels. Beyond the main structure, you can even make out part of a neighboring building with a gabled roof and a small window—details rarely seen in more generic studio scenes. The painted illusion of depth and the use of light and shadow are particularly well-executed, suggesting the work of a photographer or studio with both imagination and technical skill. The mount is plain and unmarked, and the reverse is blank, offering no indication of the studio or photographer. This is not especially common, but it does occur for several reasons. Some photographers ordered unbranded mounts in bulk to save on cost, particularly smaller regional studios. Others produced unmarked portraits when operating temporarily or while changing locations. In some cases, professional photographers left mounts blank when they subcontracted printing work or when the image was intended for a client’s private use rather than advertising. While the lack of a studio imprint makes firm attribution difficult, the style, craftsmanship, and dress suggest a date in the 1890s, possibly produced in a North American or British studio of that era. (SOLD)

This handsome late-Victorian cabinet card presents an unidentified man and woman posed closely together in a formal bust-length studio portrait, probably dating from the 1890s. Their relationship is not recorded, although their placement and complementary formal clothing suggest that they may have been a married or engaged couple. Both look slightly away from the camera with restrained expressions characteristic of nineteenth-century studio portraiture, while the soft vignette allows their figures to fade gradually into the pale background. The man wears a textured light-colored suit coat with broad lapels, a white standing collar, and a dark bow tie. His closely cropped hair and large, carefully shaped handlebar mustache give him a particularly memorable appearance. The woman wears a fitted dark dress with raised shoulders, contrasting lapels, decorative buttons, and a gathered high-necked blouse. Around her neck is an unusual openwork or linked choker, fastened at the center with a floral brooch, while a small hoop earring is visible at her left ear. The photographer was Henry William Immke, generally known professionally as H. W. Immke. He was born in Hessen, Germany, on March 9, 1839, and immigrated to the United States as a teenager. After working as a farmhand near Peru, Illinois, he studied photography in Chicago from 1863 to 1866 under Samuel M. Fassett, who operated one of the country’s largest photographic studios. While employed there, Immke photographed Abraham Lincoln’s funeral procession as it passed through Chicago on May 1, 1865. Immke married Mary Steinbrook in 1864, and they eventually had four children. The family moved to Princeton in 1866, where he opened a photographic gallery and remained in business until his retirement in 1923. After an early studio building burned, he eventually established his long-running “Gallery of Art” at 819 North Main Street. Over the course of his career, he reportedly produced at least 30,000 glass-plate photographs, primarily portraits of Princeton and Bureau County residents. Approximately 20,000 of his negatives survive in the collection of the Bureau County History Center, making his work an unusually valuable visual record of the community. Immke retired in 1923 and moved to South Dakota to live with his daughter Minnetta. He died in 1928. Princeton is located in north-central Illinois. During the cabinet-card era, it was a prosperous regional center connected to Chicago and other markets by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, which reached Princeton in 1854 and stimulated considerable local growth. The community was also known for its association with Owen Lovejoy and the Underground Railroad. The cream-colored front mount is ruled with fine brown lines. The reverse is especially attractive and displays a large allegorical figure of a winged woman standing or moving above a globe surrounded by clouds. She blows a long trumpet with one hand and carries a cornucopia, or horn of plenty, in the other. The round objects spilling from the cornucopia appear to be coins falling toward North America. The figure combines imagery associated with Fame, represented by the trumpet, and Fortune or Abundance, represented by the cornucopia and coins. SOLD

This cabinet card features a handsome mustachioed gentleman. He is well dressed in his three piece suit. Note the pocket watch chain hanging from his vest.  SOLD

This is a wonderfully detailed real photo postcard showing a busy commercial street in Mio, Michigan, during the years immediately following World War II. Mio is an unincorporated community and the county seat of Oscoda County, situated in the north-central portion of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. It lies in the Au Sable River Valley, surrounded by the forests and outdoor-recreation country for which this part of northern Michigan is known. Mio was established in 1881. Its early development was closely connected with northern Michigan’s lumbering, farming and river communities. The photograph provides an excellent record of small-town commercial life. Most prominent is Whitney Stores, whose signs advertise “5¢ and 10¢,” “$1.00 and up,” and “Variety Store.” This appears to have been a local five-and-dime establishment selling inexpensive household goods and general merchandise. Other visible businesses include Iron’s Restaurant, the Log Cabin Inn, which advertises “Liquor” and “Good Food,” and a partially visible Mio Electric sign beneath the striped awning at the far right. Another sign behind the Log Cabin Inn appears to advertise a drugstore. A black dog walking in front of Whitney Stores adds an appealing bit of everyday life to the scene. Several period automobiles line the road. The large automobile in the foreground appears to be a 1946–1948 Chrysler sedan, probably from the Windsor or New Yorker family, identifiable by its broad horizontal grille, substantial chrome bumper and postwar Chrysler body styling. It carries a large assortment of luggage or outdoor equipment on its roof, suggesting travelers passing through northern Michigan’s vacation and sporting country. The approaching car at left appears to be a late-1940s Chevrolet, while the other parked vehicles are also consistent with automobiles produced during the late 1930s and 1940s. The postcard was published by the L. L. Cook Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded in 1921, L. L. Cook became one of Milwaukee’s two largest postcard publishers and produced an enormous photographic record of American towns, businesses, streets and tourist destinations. The front bears Cook photograph number P2176. The reverse has an EKC stamp box, identifying Eastman Kodak photographic paper used approximately from 1939 through 1950. Because the prominent Chrysler could not have been manufactured before the 1946 model year, the combination of the automobiles and EKC stamp box places this view most plausibly around 1946–1949, with approximately 1947 being a reasonable working date. This postcard is unused and has not been mailed. SOLD

This striking real photo postcard (RPPC) features silent film actress Marion Davies in a dramatic costume portrait, likely from a historical or fantasy-themed film. She gazes intently at the camera with a confident, mysterious expression, her curly hair peeking from beneath a richly embroidered headscarf. She wears a flowing velvet and gauzy dress with braided details, evoking medieval or Renaissance fashion. Printed in sepia tones, the card showcases Davies’ distinctive beauty and screen presence, which made her a star of the 1920s. In the lower right corner of the image is the credit “Fanamet-Film.” Fanamet was the European distribution arm of Paramount Pictures, active primarily in the 1920s and early 1930s. Based in Vienna, Fanamet handled the European marketing of American films, including those of Marion Davies. The postcard was published by Iris Verlag, a well-known German and Austrian publisher of film star postcards. The serial number 399-2 appears in the lower left corner. These cards were widely collected across Europe during the silent film era and are known for their excellent photographic clarity and elegant layouts. The reverse of the postcard shows a clear postmark: reading Tallinn, Estonia, and it is dated 1927. A rough translation of the Estonian message is as follows: “Dear young man, I wish you much happiness in the new year. May the coming year bring you joy and success.” This appears to be a New Year’s greeting, warm and personal, typical of the time. (SOLD)

This is an original vintage 2004 bebe Fall Collection advertising postcard/invitation featuring model and actress Olga Kurylenko, photographed during the period when she was an internationally successful fashion model shortly before her film career took off. The striking fashion portrait shows Kurylenko wearing an oversized black wide-brimmed hat, plaid tailored jacket and dramatic fur-trimmed collar, with the white bebe Fall Collection logo prominently printed across the image. The reverse reveals that this was an invitation to an exclusive preview of the new bebe & bebe Sport Fall Collection, held in 2004 in Austin, Texas. Kurylenko had already established herself as an important fashion model by this time, appearing in major fashion magazines and campaigns and becoming a face of several brands including Clarins, Helena Rubinstein, Roberto Cavalli and Kenzo. She subsequently made the transition to acting and became internationally famous playing opposite Daniel Craig’s James Bond in Quantum of Solace (2008). SOLD

This striking late 19th-century cabinet card features a compelling double portrait of two well-dressed gentlemen, captured with clarity and quiet confidence by Hargrave of New York City. The image presents the men in formal attire—dark jackets, crisp white shirts, and bow ties—reflecting the refined fashion and dignified bearing of the era. One gentleman wears a full, neatly groomed beard, while the other sports a carefully styled mustache.  Their expressions are composed and thoughtful, suggesting a studio portrait intended to convey both character and respectability. This photograph was taken during the vibrant photographic culture of Manhattan in the late 1800s. Note the elegant backmark, featuring a cherubic figure and decorative typography.  Based on the style of dress, grooming, and mount design, this photograph likely dates to the late 1880s to early 1890s, a time when cabinet cards were at the height of their popularity. SOLD

This antique cabinet card photograph features a pretty young woman identified in pencil on the reverse as Mabel Graham, photographed by Washington Boyce of Danville, Illinois. Mabel is shown standing in an elegant studio setting beside a large decorative planter filled with leaves and flowers. To her left is a painted or constructed architectural column prop, adding a formal Victorian parlor atmosphere to the portrait. She wears a fitted late-19th-century dress with a high collar, dark pleated front panel, closely tailored sleeves, and a striking vertical row of light-colored decorative buttons down the bodice. Her hair is arranged high on her head in a fashionable Victorian style, and she faces the camera with a serious, composed expression. The photographer, Washington Boyce, is an interesting figure in the history of regional photography, having been referenced in connection with an 1894 Illinois breach-of-contract case involving the sale of a photographic studio and a non-compete clause. He was also noted in an 1886 photographic journal for holding a patent connected to an innovative photographic paper box. This cabinet card is a nice example of his Danville studio work. SOLD