BIG HEADED MAN WITH A LITTLE BEARD IN SULLIVAN, INDIANA

This cabinet card features a man with a big head and a little beard. This gentleman could not commit himself to growing a full beard so he restricted its growth to his chin area. He even lacks sideburns. To view other interesting images of beards, click on the category “Beards (Only the Best).  The photographer of this image is Charles M. Lutz & Co. The studio was located in Sullivan, Indiana. A Sullivan County directory (1896) reveals some biographical information about C. M. Lutz. He was born in 1842 in Huntingburg, Indiana. He began working as a photographer in 1861. He served in the 27th Indiana Volunteer Infantry during the civil war. He mustered in the unit as private and mustered out with the same rank. Lutz served in Company B of the 27th. Lutz married Sarah South in 1884 and came to Sullivan County in 1887. In 1891, he entered a partnership with photographer, W. F. Devol.

PRETTY WOMAN IN DETROIT, MICHIGAN

A pretty woman poses for her portrait at the studio of A. J. Diehl and Co. in Detroit, Michigan. This partial profile pose accentuates the womans beautiful and large eyes. Diehl’s studio was located at 35 to 39 Monroe Avenue, in Detroit. This portrait was taken some time between 1885 and 1887.Diehl appears to be a journeyman photographer. He moved from one Detroit photograph studio to another at a rapid pace. He was the “Larry Brown” of photography. If you are not a basketball fan, an explanatory note is necessary. Mr Brown is a much travelled basketball coach.  Diehl began his career as an operator in 1876. In 1882 he was a partner in Bracey, Diehl and Co.. In 1885 he operated A. J. Diehl & Co. In 1887, he was a partner in Diehl & Sharpsteen. In 1890 he was a partner in Diehl and Ladd & Co. In 1891, he was a partner in Angell & Diehl.  After this short partnership, he had many other photography jobs through 1923. Perhaps Mr Diehl was a difficult person. Did he have an anger problem? Did he have a substance abuse problem? The reason for his unstable work history is unknown, but he likely had some kind of significant pathology that interfered with his work.

Published in: on August 11, 2011 at 12:01 am  Comments (1)  
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MUSICAL GROUP IN LUZERNE, PENNSYLVANIA

This cabinet card captures five young adults who may be part of a musical group. One of the two woman in the photograph is holding a guitar; and that may be the only evidence that this group was in the business of making music. The men are all wearing derby hats. The woman with the guitar has a flower covered hat on her lap, and the second woman has a basket filled with flowers on her knees. There is also something odd included in the content of this photograph. There appears to be a sheet, or sheets, of paper on the ground between the two woman. Is that white square paper, sheet music, or is it a photographic flaw in the image? The photographer of this cabinet card is J. H. R. Kemp. His studio was located in Luzerne, Pennsylvania and his tenure there included the 1890’s.

Published in: on August 10, 2011 at 12:01 am  Leave a Comment  
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HANDSOME MAN WITH A HANDSOME BEARD IN LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA

This cabinet card features a handsome gentleman with an interesting looking beard and mustache. The photographer of this image is Benjamin Franklin Saylor, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. His studio was the successor of Charles W. Eberman, in Lancaster. Saylor’s studio was located at 26 West King Street. Saylor was born in 1838 in Trappe, Pennsylvania. He was of German ancestry. Saylor was educated in public schools and at thirteen years of age, his father, a carpenter, died while doing work around his residence. Saylor moved to Philadelphia and at age 20, learned the business of photography. At age 27, he came to Lancaster and took over Eberman’s photo gallery. To view other interesting photographs of beards, click on the category of “Beards (Only the Best).

Published in: on August 8, 2011 at 12:01 am  Comments (3)  
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PORTRAIT OF AN UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS

This pretty woman sat for this cabinet card portrait in the New York City studio of celebrity photographer, B. J. Falk. The photograph is a bit risque for its time. The young woman is showing her bare arms  and her shoulder is also exposed. To increase the sexual tension in this photograph, the actress is projecting  a “come hither look”. To view other photographs by Falk, click on the category “Photographer: Falk”.

Published in: on August 7, 2011 at 12:01 am  Comments (1)  
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SHE’S BEAUTIFUL, EDUCATED AND POPULAR: YOUNG WOMAN HAS IT ALL IN SAN FRANCISCO

This cabinet card features a very pretty young woman posing for her portrait as a remembrance of an accomplishment, possibly a graduation. She is holding a rolled up paper that may be a diploma. She is surrounded by baskets of flowers. These floral tributes are from a number of admirers; she apparently was quite popular. The young woman is wearing a medal which may indicate that she excelled in some areas of her education. This woman has it all; beauty, brains, and popularity. The photographer who produced this image is Rieman whose studio was located in San Francisco, California. To view other photographs by Rieman, click on Cabinet Card Gallery’s category “Photographer: Rieman”.

Published in: on August 6, 2011 at 12:01 am  Leave a Comment  
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A MOTHER AND HER THREE ADORING DAUGHTERS IN VIENNA, AUSTRIA

A young mother and her three daughters pose for their family portrait. The girls are all wearing identical dresses. One of the three girls is unable to hold back a smile while the other subjects look rather serious in this photograph. The photographer of this image is Dr Szekely. He  is cited multiple times in the photographic journals of his time for his photography research. Many of the citations found were from 1875 through 1872. Dr Szekely operated a studio in Vienna, Austria. To view other photographs by Szekely, click on the category “Photographer: Szekely”.

Published in: on August 5, 2011 at 12:01 am  Leave a Comment  
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FASHION STATEMENT IN SAN FRANCISCO: STYLISH WOMAN AND HER BEAUTIFUL DRESS

This cabinet card is an image of a middle aged woman posing for her studio portrait. She is wearing a beautiful dress. The woman is probably quite wealthy to be able to afford to dress in such fine fashion. She is also well adorned in jewelry. Note her three strand necklace, her earrings, and her large ring. The photographer of this image is the studio of Edouart & Cobb, located at No. 504 Kearny Street, in San Francisco, California. To view other photographs by these photographers, and to learn some of their background information, click on cabinet card gallery’s category “Photographer: Edouart & Cobb.

“A TEACHER OF MINE”: A PORTRAIT OF MR HENRY LUTSCH

This cabinet card photograph is a portrait of Mr. Henry Lutsch. The reverse of the photograph has an inscription stating “Henry Lutsch, a teacher of mine”. There is no other identifying information. The photographer and the studio location are unknown. Perhaps one of Cabinet Card Gallery’s visitors, will be able to provide additional information. They have demonstrated amazing genealogical detective skills in the past illustrated by their informative comments. The only information that I was able to recover, comes from the 1880 U.S. census. Henry Lutsch was born 1n 1869, in the state of Wisconsin. The head of household, at the time of the census was Jacob Lutsch, who was born in Switzerland. Jacob Lutsch was probably Henry”s father. The “Census Place” was Great Bend, Barton, Kansas. The town of Great Bend was settled in the early 1870’s and located in Barton County, Kansas.  Interestingly, this cabinet card was originally purchased from a collector in Kansas. Mr Lutsch is a handsome man and he has an admirable mustache which places him in Cabinet Card Gallery’s category of “Mustaches (Only the Best). Click on the category to view some amazing displays of  facial hair. Thinking about this cabinet card prompts the question as to why a student would want a photograph of his, or her, teacher. Is the answer to the question as simple as that the student wanted a keepsake from their education experience; like modern day students often want a yearbook upon graduation. Another possible explanation is that the student had a crush on the handsome Mr Lutsch, and wanted a portrait of him in order to hang on to their fantasy, just a little longer.

Published in: on August 3, 2011 at 12:01 am  Comments (2)  
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CUTE BOY IS POORLY POSED IN ROCHESTER, NEW YORK

A cute long haired boy poses for his portrait at the studio of J. Heberger, in Rochester, New York. The boy is wearing his sunday finest. He is wearing a striped blouse with a big bow. The blouse is almost screaming “notice me”! In addition, he is wearing short pants and high black shoes and stockings. The photographer did a poor job of posing the young boy. The child is standing beside a wicker chair, and due to poor staging, there is an illusion that part of the chair is protruding from the top of the child’s head. The photographer’s lack of experience, or carelessness, significantly detracts from the quality of this portrait. This photograph is not apparently, an adequate reflection of the skills of the photographer. John Heberger is cited in a number of photography journals of his time for his skills and innovations. One article, from 1909, describes his development of a new process for putting pictures on fabrics. Another article appearing in The Photographic Journal of America (1919) describes an exhibit presented by Heberger. He displayed a number of photographs of subjects with obvious physical deformities. He then demonstrated how using modeling and etching techniques, he was able change the subjects appearance, in the photograph,  to show them without their defects. One of his examples was a man with a goiter whose eyes appeared to “pop out of his head”. After Heberger applied his photographic magic, the man’s eyes looked perfectly normal on the resulting photograph.

Published in: on August 2, 2011 at 12:01 am  Comments (1)  
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