MAE BRANSON: PROVOCATIVELY POSES IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

A sexy, busty, and leggy, blonde Mae Branson poses for celebrity photographer, William McKenzie Morrison, in Chicago, Illinois. The photographer’s studio was located in the Haymarket Theatre Building. To learn more about this well known photographer, click on the category “Photographer: Morrison”. A stamp on the reverse of this photograph indicates that the cabinet card  was formerly owned by Culver Pictures. Culver was located in New York City, and for a fee, provided images to newspapers, films, and other forms of media. Research yielded little biographical information about stage beauty, Miss Branson. The National Police Gazette (1892) reports the bathing exploits of four actresses at Long Brauch. The article was written in poetry form and the verses included the following lines: “and in the surf she daily dips in jaunty bathing dress; That fits her like a glovelet – not an inch the more or less”. The actresses described were Minnie Seligman, Geraldine McCann, Della Fox, and Mae Branson. The site of the sexy swimming exhibition was likely Long Branch, New Jersey;  “Long Brauch” was likely a misspelling. It appears that MTV’s reality TV show, “Jersey Shore“, is a remake; because there seems to have been plenty of provocativeness at the Jersey Shore in 1892.  Mae Branson’s name also appears in an article in a Maine newspaper,  The Lewiston Daily Sun (1893). The article appeared in the Music and Drama section. A review of the play “1492” describes Miss Branson as exhibiting “agreeable singing and artistic work” which obtained “prompt and hearty recognition”.  (SOLD)

Published in: on January 29, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (3)  
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ATTRACTIVE COUPLE IN TORONTO, CANADA

This photograph, by Thomas E. Perkins, features an attractive formally dressed couple. The woman is very photogenic. Her dress is very styled and detailed  Her husband appears very intense. The photographer was based in Toronto, Canada. His studio was located at 293 Younge Street. In the 1880’s Perkins employed a fledgeling photographer, William H. Gardiner. Later in his career, Gardiner became well known for his photographic work on Mackinac Island, Michigan.

Published in: on January 28, 2012 at 2:03 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PRETTY WOMAN IN PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA (1885)

A pretty woman poses for her portrait at the Dunshee Studio in Philadelphia, Pennslvania. The studio was located across the street from the U. S. Mint. The subject’s dress has a very lacy collar and she is wearing an elaborate belt. Note the buttons on the side of her skirt. This arrangement of buttons is not commonly seen on dresses in cabinet card photographs. Her figure is improved by the corset that she is wearing. Print on the reverse of the photograph indicates that the image was produced in 1885. To view other photographs by Edward Sidney Dunshee, and learn more about his history, click on the category, “Photographer: Dunshee”.

Published in: on January 26, 2012 at 12:01 am  Leave a Comment  
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WIDE-EYED BABY IN GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN

A wide eyed baby is photographed by F. W. Schneider, in Green Bay, Wisconsin. the baby is lying on fur and wearing a long gown. The book, “A History of Brown County, Wisconsin, Past and Present Vol. 2” (1913) reveals that Schneider was born and raised in Niederschelden, Germany. He emigrated to the United States in 1868 and settled in Green Bay in 1874. Schneider operated a photographic gallery until 1911, when his son, C. Alvin Schneider, succeeded  him. “The Bulletin of Photography” (1922), noted F. W. Schneider’s death from heart disease. Schneider was 68 years old at the time of his death, and it was reported that he had operated his studio for 38 years. An interesting side note about Green Bay is that it was established in 1634 by the French as a small trading post. The town’s original name was “La Baie des Puants” (“The Stinking Bay”).

Published in: on January 24, 2012 at 12:01 am  Leave a Comment  
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THREE GRADUATES POSE IN PARIS………………(PARIS, KENTUCKY)

Three young women pose for their graduation portrait in Paris, Kentucky. Judging their age by their appearance, the girls are likely graduating from high school or college. It is interesting to note that each girls graduation gown is slightly different from the others. It is also notable that there is no backdrop in this image; the photographer used curtains instead. Perhaps the photograph was taken outside of the photographer’s studio and he took the curtains with him to the site of the graduation. This image was produced by a photographer named Gibson. Research reveals no additional biographical information concerning Mr. Gibson.

Published in: on January 22, 2012 at 12:01 am  Leave a Comment  
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YOUNG COUPLE LACKS INTIMACY IN MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA

A young couple poses for their portrait at the studio of photographer, H. Larson, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.                The gentleman has long hair and glasses.  He has a scholarly appearance. The woman’s  figure is improved by a corset. She appears uncomfortable, illustrated behaviorally by the position of her arms and hands on her abdomen. This couple appears emotionally separated from each other. There is no intimacy captured in this photograph. Although the couple is posed together, they do not seem to be together. Perhaps the couple is really not physically together in the studio and this image was doctored by the photographer, who added the gentleman to an existing photograph of the woman. Herman Larson was a Swedish immigrant who came to America through Sweden in the early 1900’s. In Sweden, he held a degree of Master Photographer and was knighted by the King of Sweden for his excellent work there in the late 1800’s. In 1904 he established his photography studio in downtown Minneapolis. Much of Larson’s work came from the theological, church and public schools in the area. The studio remains in business today and its web site discloses that it still possesses Larson’s panoramic circuit camera. The site also reports that Larson semi retired in the early 1950’s.To view other photographs by Larson, click on the category “Photographer: Larson”.

Published in: on January 18, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (1)  
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BEAUTY WITH FINGERLESS GLOVES IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

A beautiful woman poses for her portrait at the Lewitz studio in Chicago, Illinois. She is surrounded by pretty flowers. She is wearing flowers on her dress and in her hair. There is also a floral treatment on the railing behind her. She is wearing a coat style dress and a lace blouse. She is also sporting fingerless gloves. This young woman spent some time at her jewelry box while preparing for this photograph. She appears to be wearing a necklace and a broach, although it may be a necklace with two pieces of jewelry attached. She is also wearing earrings. The photographer of this image is Emil Lewitz. To learn more about him and to view more of his photographs, click on the category, ‘Photographer: Lewitz’.    SOLD

Published in: on January 17, 2012 at 12:01 am  Leave a Comment  
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“ARE WE THERE YET?”, SAID THE WIFE, TO THE HUSBAND, ON THEIR RIDE TO NOWHERE (ISLE OF MAN)

A man and a woman, presumably, a married couple, pose for their portrait in a car that is going nowhere. This automobile is simply a photographer’s prop. The advantage of a married couple being in a car that is going nowhere, is that the man can’t get lost, and then deny it;  and the woman can’t keep telling him to stop and ask for directions. The pictured car is located in the photographic studio of Frederick Johnson. Johnson’s studio was in the town of Douglas, on the Isle of Man. He actually operated two studios there; the Fort William Studio, and the Express Bridge and Battery Studio. The Isle of Man is a self-governing British Crown Dependency located in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. At the time of this photograph, the Isle of Man was a major tourist attraction, and according to many accounts, tourists flocked to photographers during their vacations there. Not much information could be found about the photographer of this image. It is known however, that he operated a studio on the Isle of Man during 1881 through 1894. He may have also been there before, or after, the aforementioned years. As an aside, it is interesting to note that during the early days of automobiles in America, some photography studios were built that were designed to allow  patrons to drive their cars into the studio, and pose alone, or with their passengers, for portraits of them sitting in their cars. This practice was truly a reflection of the history of Americans love affair with their  automobiles.

Published in: on January 13, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (1)  
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STYLISH MOTHER AND SON MEET SAMSON IN DUISBURG, GERMANY

A stylish mother and son pose for a portrait at the studio of Samson & Company in Duisburg, Germany. Mom has an interesting beaded dress, and a pin on her collar. The son has perfectly combed hair, and is wearing a cute short suit. He seems to be a bit intimidated by his day at the photographer, and is likely happy to be standing so close to his mother. Duisburg is a city in Germany and is located in the western part of the Ruhr area. To view other photographs that may have been produced by this photographer, click on the category, “Photographer: Samson & Co.”. The tentativeness of the previous sentence is because the other Samson & Company photograph was not produced in Duisburg. In fact, the other photograph was created at a gallery in Karlsruhe, Germany. The different locations of the Samson galleries makes one wonder if both of these photographic studios were operated by the same photographer. The two galleries were located 187 miles (300.88 kms) apart.

Published in: on January 12, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (1)  
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NILES AND GRACE AND THEIR PET PUG IN LOWVILLE, NEW YORK (1889)

This cabinet card portrait of two children and their pet pug, illustrates the power of the internet in identifying subjects in antique photographs. The reverse of this photograph has some identity clues in an inscription that states “Niles 3 years  Grace 6 years  Jan 3rd 1889”.  Since the photographer of this image (W. G. Mandeville) worked out of Lowville, New York, it was assumed that  the children in the photograph lived in, or around, Lowville (located in the western foothills of the Adirondack Mountains). A search of the 1900 U.S. census (Lowville) was done for siblings named Niles and Grace. A listing for Niles and Grace Bateman was found and their ages were a match for the age information on the reverse of the cabinet card. Once establishing their identity, additional biographical data was obtained. At the time of the 1900 census, Grace was seventeen years old and Niles was thirteen. Their father was Carroll Bateman and he was a proprietor of a hotel. Their mother was named Jennie Ruggles Bateman. The 1910 U. S. census found Niles working as a clerk in his father’s hotel. The 1920 U.S. census reveals that Niles had become an “Automobile Agent” and was married to a woman named Vera. The 1930 census discloses some major changes in the life of Niles Bateman. He had two children (Walter and Barbara) and had become an “Automobile Dealer”. The photographer of this image, William Garrett Mandeville (1865-1944), is one of the subjects of Robert Ogden’s book, “Exposing the Wilderness: Early Twentieth Century Adirondack Postcards” (1999). Ogden considers Mandeville one of the best photographers of the genre of scenic postcards. Mandeville was born in New York, dropped out of school at sixteen years of age, and in 1883 went to work for photographer, Ogden Hotchkiss. Hotchkiss had a studio in Norwich, New York. To view photographs by Hotchkiss, click on Cabinet Card Gallery’s category of  “Photographer: Hotchkiss”. In 1886 Mandeville joined George W. Carter in operating a photography studio but he left the partnership that same year to run his own gallery. He married his wife, Bertha in 1886 and had a daughter (Dorothy). In the 1930 U. S. census, Mandeville, at 65 years of age,  was still listed as a photographer.

Published in: on January 11, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (3)  
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