THE ENIGMATIC SISTERS OF MONTAGUE, MICHIGAN

This cabinet card presents an enigma. How can this photograph be interpreted? The image features, what are likely, three sisters, gathered around a table. Each of the young woman is holding a book, but only one of the three has their book open. So? What’s the enigma? The mystery concerns the fact that prominently displayed on the table is a picture frame without a picture. The missing picture hasn’t wandered too far away. It can be seen lying on the table, face up, in front of the frame. Hopefully, a cabinet card gallery visitor will leave a comment with their hypothesis as to why the frame and picture are separated in this image. The photographer of this portrait was Theodore A.Wirsing (1865-1938) of Montague, Michigan. Research about Wirsing yielded confusing information. He is reported to have had a studio in Annandale, Minnesota in 1902  and a studio in Maple Lakes, Minnesota in 1902 and 1914. Another source states that Wirsing ran his gallery in Montague between 1890 and 1910. He and his wife, Lillian Bovee Wirsing (1865-1930) are buried in Michigan. Wirsing can also be found in four United States census reports. In 1900, he was living in a boarding house in Corinna, Minnesota, and working as a photographer. He was unmarried. In 1910, Wirsing was living in Annandale, Minnesota and listed as a photographer. .He was also married. In 1920, he was still living in Annandale, Minnesota and he was managing a photographic gallery. In 1930, the 64 year-old, Wirsing, and his wife, were living in Bellingham, Washington. The census also states that Theodore Wirsing was working as a carpenter in Bellingham.

Published in: on February 29, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (4)  
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PRETTY SAILOR GIRL IN BROOKLYN, NEW YORK

A smiling young woman, wearing a navy sailor uniform, poses for her portrait at the Silkworth studio in Brooklyn, New York. The attractive subject in this photograph may be  an actress or a dancer. Is it a coincidence that she is being photographed in the some borough as the Brooklyn Naval Yard?   The photographer, Amos W. Silkworth, married into the photography business. In 1885, he married Mary Biffar, and took over her father ‘s photography studio. His father-in-law’s name was Henry Biffar. The address on this cabinet card is 795 Manhattan Avenue and research found that he operated a studio in 1888 and 1899 from 261 Manhattan Avenue. This address was reported to be in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. Silkworth had a letter published in “The American Annual of Photography” (1899). At an unknown time, he retired from business and relocated to Mattituck, Long Island, New York. In 1917, “The “Bulletin of Photography” announced Silkworth’s death from Brights Disease at age fifty-five.   SOLD

Published in: on February 22, 2012 at 9:01 am  Comments (4)  

FIVE BEAUTIFUL YOUNG SIBLINGS IN DUREN, GERMANY

The parents of these five siblings must have been pleased when the photographer, Robert Ophoven, gave them this portrait. The children are beautiful, well dressed, and well posed. All three girls are wearing jewelry and their hair was carefully styled for this portrait. It is also interesting to note the intimacy between the three girls. the middle girl has an arm around the shoulders of one sister while her other arm is being grasped by her other sister. This image was photographed in Duren, Germany.

Published in: on February 18, 2012 at 12:01 am  Leave a Comment  
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MILES TO NOWHERE: COUPLE DRIVING ZERO MILES PER HOUR IN PORTOBELLO, EDINBURGH, UNITED KINGDOM

“Miles from nowhere. Guess I’ll take my time. Oh yeah, ….to reach there.” The lyrics of Cat Stevens’s song, “Miles to Nowhere”, pretty much sums up the driving experience of the couple in the mock car in this photograph. They are going nowhere fast. If you are a regular visitor to the Cabinet Card Gallery, then this cabinet photograph may look familiar to you. There is a portrait in the gallery of a another couple sitting in a mock automobile that is identical to the one in this photograph. That photograph was taken in a studio located in the Isle of Man. To view that photograph, click on the category “Automobile”. The image pictured here was photographed by William Lees of Portobello, Edinburg, in the United Kingdom. The studio address was 28 Bath Street. John Lees, T.Lees, and William E. Lees operated their Portobello photo studio from 1892 until 1952. William Lees kept a stuffed donkey in his studio.  SOLD

Published in: on February 16, 2012 at 12:01 am  Leave a Comment  
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STATELY COUPLE AND THEIR SAMOYED IN STUTTGART, GERMANY

A formally dressed couple pose for their portrait at the studio of Alfred Hirrlinger in Stutgart, Germany. Also appearing in the portrait is the couple’s family dog.The small long haired white pooch is possibly a young Samoyed or Spitz. Perhaps a visitor to the cabinet card gallery can give a more informed opinion in regard to the dog’s breed. Regardless of the dog’s pedigree, the canine seems to be having a lot more fun than its masters. The couple certainly seem to be quite intense. The husband has a terrific mustache which curls at its ends. He is wearing a pocket watch which can be seen behind his open jacket. The woman is wearing a necklace and collar pin. This photograph was taken after the turn of the century. The reverse of the photograph has a printed telephone number and displays four medals won by the studio between 1897 and 1902.

Published in: on February 14, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (3)  
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ELDERLY GENTLEMAN IN COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

An elderly gentleman poses for his portrait at the studio of Christensen and Morange, in Copenhagen, Denmark. The grey haired man, dressed in a suit,  is sitting in a chair next to an open book, which lies on a desk or table. The man’s pocket watch can be seen behind his open jacket. Note the interesting design of the chair that the gentleman is occupying. The old man’s facial expression is open to interpretation. At first glance, he looks quite serious; but upon further examination, he seems a bit amused as he stares at the photographer. The Christensen and Morange studio photographed a number of well known people in Denmark. Some of the photographer’s portraits are held by the Royal Library, in Copenhagen.  To view the Cabinet Card Gallery’s collection of photographs from Denmark, click on the category, “Denmark”.

Published in: on February 13, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (1)  
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LITTLE GIRL RIDING A GIANT TRICYCLE IN MONTEVIDEO, MINNESOTA

A little girl sits high atop a giant tricycle in this cabinet card photograph by Andreas Brandmo. Brandmo’s studio was located in Montevideo, Minnesota. The little girl won’t be able to ride very far on her  monster bike. Unfortunately her feet do not seem to reach the bike’s pedals. She also doesn’t look particularly comfortable on her perch, as she poses for the photographer. The 1900 United States census reveals that Brandmo was born in Norway in 1855. He came to the United States in 1882 and married his wife Martha in 1885. Apparently, Brandmo and his wife were producing children at a rapid pace. After 15 years of marriage, the couple had eight children spanning between three and twelve years of age. The census also indicated that Brandmo’s niece, Lucy Husaby, worked as a photographer in his studio. The family lived in Appleton, Minnesota. Research found that Brandmo operated his Montevideo studio between 1886 and 1896. It was also reported that he ran a gallery in Appleton in 1898. At some point he had a partner and their studio was named Brandmo & Lodgaard. The 1910 census reveals that Andreas Brandmo changed his name to Andrew Brandmo. Perhaps when he realized he had eight children and a wife depending on him, he changed his name and entered the Federal Witness Protection Program. More likely though, he probably Americanized his name for business purposes. The 1910 census also notes that his son Alf, had joined him in the business and was working as a photographer.

Published in: on February 9, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (1)  
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WOMAN IN CHAINS (STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA)

This cabinet card features a woman in chains. The previous sentence, and the title of this blog entry, may be misleading because the woman isn’t exactly in chains; instead, she is wearing a chain necklace. Don’t you hate those sensational headlines that are aimed to manipulate you to watch a particular news show, or read a certain newspaper? Sorry! This lady’s name is “Emmie” according to a notation on the reverse of the cabinet card. She is thin, pretty and curly haired. The chain she is wearing has a pin attached to her collar and also has a charm or locket. Ironically, the charm resembles a  modern day pet identification tag. This image was photographed by Batchelder of Stockton, California. Perez Mann Batchelder (1818-1873) was a daguerreotypist, ambrotypist, and photographer active in a number of areas in California, including Sonora, Stockton, Vallecito, Murphy’s Camp, and Mokelumne Hill. He also operated studios in Melbourne, Australia (he followed the gold rush occurring down under) and Boston, Massachusetts. He worked in all of these locales over a short period of time. He clearly did not let moss grow under his feet. Batchelder with his brothers Nathaniel, Freeman, and Benjamin Pierce founded a daguerreian dynasty which in the 1850’s and 1860’s established dozens of galleries on both coasts of the United States and in Australia. Batchelder travelled incessantly and operated many enterprises simultaneously. He was born in Massachusetts and entered photography as a career in 1844. The book, “Pioneer Photographers of the Far West: A Biographical Dictionary” (2000) was the source of much of the information about Perez Batchelder.

Published in: on February 8, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (6)  
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RADIANT ACTRESS: CISSY FITZ GERALD (ONE OF THE GAIETY GIRLS)

B. J. Falk, the celebrity photographer from New York City, produced this cabinet card portrait of Cissy Fitz Gerald (1873-1941). Fitz Gerald was an English American vaudeville and film actress, dancer, and singer. She appeared in both silent and sound films. Her first movie was made in 1896 by Thomas Edison. In 1914 she signed with the Vitagraph company. The IMDb lists a filmography of seventy films spanning from 1914-1932. Her movies included a film series entitled “Cissy”. Her nickname was “girl with the wink”. She is described by the website of the Victoria and Albert Museum (London, England) as one of the original “Gaiety Girls” of the 1890’s. These actresses tended to appear in the choruses of productions. The web based museum exhibit describes the “Gaiety Girls”  as “fashionable elegant young ladies and not at all like the corseted actresses from the burlesques”. The exhibit also declares that the “Gaiety Girls” were polite, beautifully dressed and well behaved young women, who were much sought after by the ‘stage door Johnnies’ of the 1890’s”. As apparent in the photograph; Ms Fitz Gerald was quite a beautiful woman and had a beautiful smile. She was, simply put, a radiant woman. This photograph was formerly owned by Culver Service, a company that commercially provided celebrity photos  to different modes of media. The photographs reverse has a stamp indicating ownership by the Culver company. To view other photographs by B. J. Falk, click on the category “Photographer: Falk”.

Published in: on February 7, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (2)  
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PRETTY AND FASHIONABLE IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

A very pretty woman poses for her portrait at the studio of  well known photographer, Joseph W. Gehrig. Gehrig plied his trade in Chicago, Illinois. To view other photographs by Gehrig, click on the category “Photogapher: Gehrig”. The woman in this photograph is beautifully dressed. she is wearing leather gloves and a wonderful feathered hat. She appears to be holding a purse. She gives the appearance of a woman of means and it is likely that she was a member of Chicago’s high society.

Published in: on February 6, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (1)  
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