A young woman poses for her portrait at the studio of Bellin & Murphy in Brooklyn, New York. As part of the advertising on the reverse of this cabinet card, the photographers state that “none but strictly first class work allowed to leave the studio”. Although this image is not an exceptional portrait, the photographer did do a “first class” job of capturing the subjects “girl-next-door” natural beauty.
NATURAL BEAUTY IN BROOKLYN, NEW YORK
PRETTY WOMAN IN ROCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE
Photographer I. A. Collins of Rochester, New Hampshie, produced this cabinet card portrait of a lovely woman. She is wearing a pretty dress and an abundance of jewelry. Note her bracelet, ring, pin and chains. Her dress has two very large buttons and hopefully one of the fashion experts who visit the Cabinet Card Gallery can explain the purpose of the buttons. It appears as if the buttons are held together by a clasp and serve to keep the skirt portion in position.Very little information could be uncovered about photographer I. Collins. He was listed in the Dover, New Hampshire business directory (1889 and 1891) as a photographer. The directories report that the gallery was located on a street named Hanson.
CUTE GIRL HOLDING A BEAUTIFUL DOLL IN HAMBURG, GERMANY
A cute little girl holds her doll as she stands on an ornate chair in the studio of photographer Gustav Habel in Hamburg, Germany. Note the wonderful detail in the doll’s appearance. In addition, examine the carved animal heads at the end of the arm rests of the chair.The girl is wearing a great hat and dressy high boots. No biographical information could be found about Gustav Habel and the girl in the image is unidentified.
A BOY AND HIS TRICYCLE IN BEAVER DAM, WISCONSIN
Photographer P. Veling & Bro produced this portrait of a boy and his tricycle. Note the clarity of the trike in this image. The child is dressed adorably and is wearing a wonderful hat. This studio photograph was taken in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. The photographer, Peter Veling was born in Germany in 1855. He immigrated to the United States as a baby. He married his wife, Theresa, in 1881. He is listed as a photographer in the 1880, 1900, and 1910 US censuses. However, the 1920 census indicates that Veling had became the postmaster of Beaver Dam.
THEATER ACTRESS NETTY HUNTER IN RISQUE POSE (1895)
This cabinet card features a pretty young woman in a risque pose. She is identified on the reverse of the image as Netty Hunter. The previous owner of this portrait reported that Miss Hunter was a theater actress but a search found no evidence to support the notion that she had a stage career. In fact, no biographical information could be found about her. The photographer of this image was Jacob Schloss. Schloss photographed many theater celebrities from his studio in New York City. A notation on the lower left corner of the image shows that the copyright date of this photograph is 1895. A fading stamp on the back of this cabinet card indicates that it was formerly part of a collection belonging to Charles L. Ritzman (943 Broadway, New York City) who collected among other things, photographs of theater actors and actresses. In sum, although there is evidence that Netty Hunter was a theater actress; the evidence is not conclusive.
ATTRACTIVE YOUNG COUPLE FINDS FORTUNE IN CALIFORNIA
In the 1880’s and 1890’s many people came to California to seek their fortune. The couple pictured in this cabinet card found a fortune. The fortune was not gold or money; instead it was E . W. Fortune, a Los Angeles photographer. The couple probably wasn’t disappointed in this excellent image. The subjects are well posed and the photograph has wonderful clarity. The well dressed and handsome gentleman has a neat beard and is holding a book on his lap. He is wearing a pocket watch. The young woman in the portrait has a pretty dress and is wearing a bracelet on her wrist and a pin on her collar. Judging by their general appearance, the couple seems to have been financially well off. The pair are identified on the reverse of the image as Mr and Mrs W. R. Williams. A genealogical investigators heart sinks when he or she sees a name like “Williams” needing to be researched. There are generally just too many “Williams” to sort through, and the researcher ends up with multiple people who fit the description of their quarry. As expected, research gleaned no biographical information about Mr. and Mrs. Williams. The photographer of this cabinet card operated his studio in Los Angeles, California. The address was 151 South Spring Street. City directories for Los Angeles list Fortune operating as a photographer between 1888 and 1893. He certainly may have conducted his business both before and after those dates but no confirmation could be found.
A BOY AND A WHIP: FIFTY SHADES OF GREY IN ROME, NEW YORK
This cabinet card features a boy and a whip. The expression on this boy’s face is a bit worrisome and scary. He seems to be having some fantasies about ways he wants to use the whip. He looks intensely angry, sadistic and vengeful. The boy’s neighbors in Rome, New York likely hid their children, and their dogs and cats when he was around. The school system in Rome probably developed America’s first school based anti-bullying program when this troubled youngster entered elementary school. Perhaps I’m being a bit too judgmental. This little boy in a sailor suit may just be having a bad day. Unfortunately, the subject of this photographic portrait is unidentified so we can’t find out about his journey through life. Did he become a saintly good citizen, or did he become an incarcerated sadistic sociopath? The answer eludes us but it is important to remember that things are seldom so black and white. Keep in mind, there are fifty shades of grey. Hopefully this child’s mood improved over the years. There are some details available about the photographer. One source states that Bacon operated his studio in the 1870’s from above 60 Dominick Street in Rome, New York. His studio was called Bacon’s Photo Rooms. In addition, G. E. Bacon is listed as a photographer in the Rome business directory (1908). His address in the directory was 138 West Dominick.
BEAUTIFUL GERMAN WOMAN WEARING LACE MANTILLA
This exceptionally clear cabinet card features an extremely beautiful woman wearing a lace mantilla. What’s a mantilla? According to Wikepedia, a mantilla is a lace or silk veil or shawl worn over the head and shoulder. Mantillas became popular in Spain toward the end of the sixteenth century. The photographer is Emilie Bieber and she had studios in Berlin and Hamburg, Germany. Could E. Bieber, be related to Canadian singer and songwriter, Justin Bieber? Afterall, Justin Bieber’s great grandfather was from Germany. Forget it! Lets not go there! Lets get back to the cabinet card. Emilie Bieber was a female German photographer who was later joined in business by her nephew Leonard Berlin-Bieber. To read more about Emilie Bieber and to view other photographs by her studio, click on the category “Photographer: Bieber”.
FRATERNAL ORGANIZATION MAN WITH A FEATHER IN HIS HAT IN EAST CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS
A gentleman poses for his portrait in the full uniform of his fraternal organization. The name of his fraternal organization is unknown to me but hopefully a visitor to this image will be able to identify it. I am sure that the crossed canes (which aren’t likely really canes) on the sash and jacket sleeves will be the major clue in accurate identification of the group. The uniform’s hat has a feather and I wonder if that is a tassel we see over his left shoulder or if it’s a turn of the century mullet. Note the man’s belt buckle and sword. The sword has an elaborate handle. Legibility problems interfere with identifying the photographer who produced this portrait. It is not an infrequent occurrence when fancy script makes it impossible to identify a photographers name on a cabinet card. Sometimes one can find the photographer’s name in such circumstances by researching the studio’s address. Such a search was done in this case but it was not productive.
CUTE LITTLE GIRL STANDING ON A CHAIR IN SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
This cabinet card features an adorable little girl standing on a chair in front of an unusual backdrop. She is wearing a lace bib, a necklace and a wonderful hat. The photographers name is not quite legible. His last name appears to be “Vitaliny”. His studio was located at 233 Montgomery Avenue in San Francisco, California. No biographical information about the photographer could be located. The photographic card has gold beveled edges and is larger than the standard cabinet card. This photographic is 8.5″ x 6.25″. It can best be desribed as a “Boudoir Card”. An article on types of cabinet cards asserts that boudoir cards are usually 8.5″ x 5.5″.
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 