Two pretty teenage girls pose for their portrait at the studio of J. O. Booen, in Austin, Minnesota. The seated girl is holding a photograph on her lap. The girls appear to be wearing identical long dark dresses and are likely sisters. Research has revealed little about Booen. He apparently operated out of Sanborn and Austin, Minnesota, and later, out of Winnebago City, Minnesota. He may have been a traveling photographer at one point and did some work in British Columbia, Canada. Booen has a panoramic photograph in the Library of Congress.
TWO TEENAGE GIRLS POSE FOR THEIR PORTRAIT IN AUSTIN, MINNESOTA
FAMILY PORTRAIT IN GREAT FALLS, MONTANA
A family of four poses for their portrait at the Elite Studio in Great Falls, Montana. Everyone is dressed in their nicest clothes for their day at the photographic studio. Note how the older daughter is posed. Her love for her dad is quite evident. Father’s pride in his family is also evident in this photograph. This family has the appearance of a Scandinavian family and in fact, the photograph is from the estate of a Norwegian immigrant family that settled in North Dakota and Montana. It is not clear who operated the Elite Studio at the time of this photograph. The Bulletin of Photography (1916) reported that “Louis Heyn of the Elite Studio sold an interest in his business” to employee Harry J. Keeley. It is likely that the studio belonged to Heyn at the time of this photograph.
ORIGINAL PLAYBOY BUNNY POSES IN TUNSTALL, ENGLAND
A young woman poses for her portrait at the studio of J. Addison & Company in Tunstall, England. Why didn’t the photographer or a family member tell this woman that her outfit made her look like a bunny rabbit? She is dressed in white, and her hat has two white feathers that point straight up like rabbit ears. Apologies to all those visitors looking for the original playboy bunny.
PRETTY WOMAN IN FRILLY CLOTHING IN TOLEDO, OHIO
A pretty woman poses for her portrait at the studio of Van Loo, in Toledo, Ohio. The woman possesses a beauty and a poise that may indicate that she is a theatrical actress. She is dressed in frills and has an elaborate and interesting hat. Van Loo’s studio was located at 183 Summit Street, in Toledo. William F. Van Loo (1856-1913) was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and his family moved to Toledo in 1864. He left school at age 14 and worked as a salesman. He later went to work for a sign and landscape company, Yost Brothers. After learning sketching and drawing he studied portraiture with Professor Thompson of the Philadelphia Art School. He began his photography career in 1873, He trained in Chicago, Illinois; and in 1876 he he went to Toledo and purchased a failed photography studio which he made very successful. In 1882 his gallery averaged 400 prints daily; it was the largest studio in Toledo. In 1888 he formed Van Loo and Trost, with photographer Frederick J. Trost. Van Loo was also very active in the Toledo Masons.
PRETTY YOUNG WOMAN IN NORWICH, NEW YORK (1884)
This cabinet portrait captures a pretty young woman with wonderful deep dark eyes. The photographer is A. E. Hotchkiss ( c 1846-1907) of Norwich, New York. Alston E. Hotchkiss cane to Norwich in 1872 at the age of twenty-six. He ran the most popular photo gallery in town and it is reported that he took on the persona of an artistic and cultured gentleman. His wife played a major role in his running the studio and at one point, he employed at least twenty workers. To view other photographs by Hotchkiss, click on the category “Photographer: Hotchkiss”.
YOUNG GIRL AND HER HUGE ST. BERNARD IN BUFFALO, NEW YORK
A young girl poses with her huge St. Bernard at the studio of Albert L. Werner in Buffalo, New York. The long haired young girl in her dark dress sits with her arm partially around the outstretched dog. The dog appears to be a St. Bernard. The studio backdrop is faux garden or park type setting wall. Albert L. Werner’s name is still prominent in Buffalo. The Werner Photography Building stands in the Genesee neighborhood of Buffalo. The building is considered a work of “artistic architecture”. It was constructed in 1895 and was designed by internationally prominent Buffalo architect, Richard A. Waite. Werner was a popular photographer of German descent who began operating a photographic studio in 1890, He relocated his business into the Werner Building in 1896. Some historians believe that the building may have been designed with him and his business in mind and the building certainly was assigned his name. Werner left the building in 1899, but his name remained on the building throughout modern times. The signage with his name was recently repainted. To view other photographs by Werner, click on the category “Photographer: Werner”.
GOOD LOOKING GUY AT THE HAYMARKET THEATRE IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
A handsome and well dressed young man poses for his portrait at the Haymarket Studio in Chicago, Illinois. The studio was located in the Haymarket Theatre Building. The subject may be an actor from one of the theatre’s productions. The gentleman has an interesting hairstyle and a wonderful mustache. This cabinet card lists the studio that took the photograph, but does not name the photographer. Morrison, was a well known photographer who operated out of the Haymarket Theatre Building and ads advertising the sale of his studio appear in a number of photographic journals of 1900. Perhaps the photographer who created this image was a successor to Morrison. To view photographs by Morrison, click on the category “Photographer: Morrison”.
HANDSOME COUPLE IN LOCKPORT, NEW YORK (IS THE WOMAN AN AFRICAN AMERICAN?
A lovely couple pose for their portrait at a studio in Fairport, New York. The photographer is F. B. Clench. This handsome couple is beautifully dressed. A previous owner of this card described the woman as an “African American Beauty”. She is certainly beautiful but it is not clear that she was an African American. A local modern day historical society described Clench as the finest photographer working in Fairport in the late 19th century. He was born in Niagara, Canada. He set up his first photographic studio in Lockport, New York in 1863. He operated in Fairport between 1889 and 1902. He then moved to Madison, Georgia until he returned to Fairport in 1914, the year of his death. Clench was clearly a talented photographer. Wilson’s photographic magazine described Clench as a “painstaking and progressive artist”. The reverse of this photograph is stamped with the following: “Clark T. Rice Collections, Perry, New York. Clark Rice (1922-1999) was a photographer in the Perry, New York area whose work captured the Perry area from just after World War II until the 1990’s. During World War II he was an army photographer. The Perry Library housed the Clark T. Rice collections.
TWO BEST DRESSED MEN IN FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA (WESTERN CLOTHING)
Two men pose for their portrait at the Flaten Studio in Fargo, North Dakota. The men are well dressed and may be wearing identical outfits because they are in work clothing. They are looking quite handsome in their striped pants, vests, ties, and hats. Perhaps a visitor to the site may have a hypotheses concerning the reason the men are dressed alike. The date of this photograph is sometime after 1889, as before that time, the address of the studio would have been listed as “Dakota Territory”. To see other photographs by Flaten, click on Cabinet Card Gallery’s category, “Photographer: Flaten”. There is no concrete evidence that the Flaten in Fargo is the same gentleman as O. E. Flaten (the photographer of the other images in the “Photographer: Flaten” category), but it is certainly a reasonable possibility.
PORTRAIT OF A YOUNG WOMAN BY MISS ANNIE LINDQUIST: PIONEER FEMALE PHOTOGRAPHER IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
This cabinet card captures a profile portrait of a young woman wearing a necklace and pin (possibly a cameo) on her collar. The noteworthy feature of this cabinet card is that the photographer is a woman, Miss Anny Lindquist whose studio was located in Chicago, Illinois.
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 