This cabinet card features a lovely young woman posing for her portrait at the Thomas studio at 717 6th Avenue. Although the street address is provided, there is no mention of the town/city or state where the studio is located. Apparently Mr. Thomas was not much of a businessman, or else the printer of the card left out some content. I thought that some light research would successfully uncover the name of Thomas’s hometown but I thought wrong. Initial research revealed that Thomas’s first name was listed by his initials “S. A”. Interestingly, a visit to my fellow cabinet card collector’s site, “Forgotten Faces and Long Ago Places” (see blog roll), found a nice portrait of a couple by the Thomas studio, but once again, only the street address was given. Further, the style of the above photograph reveals that Thomas was a pioneer photographer of the cabinet card era. Hating to surrender, I made an obsessive deal with myself to give the research a bit more time. Somehow I stumbled upon the obituary of S. A. Thomas. The Photographic Times And American Photographer (1894) reported the death of “one of New York’s oldest photographers”. The article stated that Thomas started his gallery in 1853 and it was located opposite Bryant Park in New York City. The mystery of the studio’s location was solved. The obituary also mentioned that Thomas specialized in photographing children. At the time of his death, Thomas was 71 years old.
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 
I have found a photograph card of someone I think is my grandfather. At the bottom of the card is the name Thomas (to the left) and 717 6th Avenue to the right.
However I’m sure is was not taken prior to 1894, when SA Thomas died. Could it be that the business continued after SA Thomas’s death, dropping the SA, either by a son or an assistant?
I have found a card photograph of what I think os my grandfather. At the bottom of card is Thomas 717 6th Avenue.
However the photo could not have been taken prior to 1894 – could it be the business was carried on under the Thomas name after SA’s death?
I wish I could provide a definitive answer to your question but I can’t. It certainly is possible that one of Thomas’s children succeeded their father in operating the photo studio. There are also plenty examples of photographer’s widows taking over their late husband’s studios. You might try looking at New York city directories to see if the studio continued after the death of SA Thomas. You will find your answer there.
Thank you for the speedy reply – I will indeed check out the directory.