LOVELY TEENAGER POSES FOR PORTRAIT IN UNDISCLOSED LOCATION……… (UNDISCLOSED UNTIL NOW)

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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.

Published in: on July 9, 2014 at 11:34 am  Comments (4)  

SMARTLY DRESSED COUPLE IN READING, PENNSYLVANIA

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This cabinet card by John Strunk features a well dressed couple. Strunk must have been very productive at his studio in Reading, Pennsylvania. The cabinet card gallery displays multiple photographs created by him. It is interesting to note that his work is usually very professional and often has unusual content. Check out his work at the cabinet card gallery category “Photographer: Strunk”. This particular photograph does not fall into the unusual class. However, this couple appears to be “ethnic”. What does “ethnic” mean in this context? The couple, simply stated, have an appearance that may indicate that they are immigrants to the United States. Obviously, this hypotheses is little more than a guess, considering the absence of identifying information about the pair.

Published in: on July 8, 2014 at 11:26 am  Leave a Comment  
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ADORABLE BRIGHT EYED YOUNG GIRL IN READING, PENNSYLVANIA

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An adorable little girl in a cute dress poses for her portrait at the Strunk studio in Reading, Pennsylvania. This bright eyed and partially smiling child stands beside a wicker chair. To learn more about John Strunk, and to view many more of his photographs, click on the category “Photographer: Strunk”.

Published in: on July 7, 2014 at 12:10 pm  Leave a Comment  
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FAMILY PORTRAIT OF PARENTS AND THEIR FOUR CHILDREN TAKEN IN AN ALLEY SOMEWHERE IN SPAIN

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This cabinet card portrait immigrated to the Cabinet Card Gallery from Spain and the photograph was likely taken there. The image features a set of parents and their four daughters. The youngest child is sitting in a wood wagon and is accompanied by a doll. It is not clear in what setting this photograph was taken. Is the family inside a studio, or are they actually being photographed in an alley? I’m guessing that they are in a studio and the photographer has created an outside scene within his studio. Be sure to note the family members great hats.

Published in: on July 6, 2014 at 11:55 am  Comments (1)  
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LILLIAN GRUBB: STAGE ACTRESS DUPED BY BIGAMIST HUSBAND

 

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This cabinet card features pretty actress/singer, Lillian Grubb. The New York Times (1884) reported that the young Baltimore actress had applied to a local court to have her marriage annulled from George Steitmatter, alias, George Deberhard. She wanted her marriage declared null and void due to her husband’s misrepresentation about his marital and financial status. He claimed to be single and wealthy. While still Grubb’s fiance, Mr. Steitmatter claimed that the couple needed to marry quickly because he was about to embark on a trip to Germany. When Ms. Grubb agreed to tie the knot (sometime in 1883) , Steitmatter supposedly left for Germany. In reality, he had gone to New York, the home of his lawful wife. When Ms. Grubb learned that her new husband was already married and was actually in New York; she took the reported legal action. The top cabinet card was published by Newsboy as part of a series of actress photographs (#87). These photographs were used by the company as premiums for their tobacco products. The second cabinet card is a portrait produced by celebrity photographer Jose Mora. She is quite beautiful and appears very coy in this somewhat provocative photograph. Below is an example of one of the many cigarette cards that featured Miss Grubb. This premium was produced by Duke (#N140) as part of their “Yacht Club Colors Series” and was published in 1890.

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Published in: on July 5, 2014 at 12:01 pm  Comments (1)  
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PORTRAIT OF AN ELDERLY MAN: PHOTOGRAPHED BY FEMALE PHOTOGRAPHER ADELE BECKER IN NEW YORK CITY

ADELE BECKERA older gentleman with a bushy mustache poses for his photograph at the Van Dyke Studio in New York City. Printing on the front of the cabinet card indicates that the owner and operator of the studio was Miss Adele Becker. A female owner of a photography studio was a bit unusual during the cabinet card era but the cabinet card gallery has developed a collection of cabinet cards produced by female photographers. Click on the category “Female Photographers”. In regard to Miss Becker, research yielded little information about her life or career. It is likely she bought the studio from Mr. Van Dyke.

 

Published in: on July 4, 2014 at 12:24 pm  Comments (3)  
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A WELL DRESSED COUPLE IN RED WING, MINNESOTA

ATTRACTIVE COUPLEAn unidentified well dressed couple pose for their portrait at the Lidberg studio in Red Wing, Minnesota. Note the woman’s thin waist, indubitably assisted by a very tight corset. She and her husband are both wearing corsages which hints that this image is a wedding photograph. Andrew Lidberg emigrated from Sweden and arrived in Michigan in 1877. He opened a photographic studio in Red Wing in 1892. His son, Edward H. Lidberg (1880-?) joined his father in the photography business. He operated in Red Wing for a number of decades. Among his addresses were 312-314 West Avenue and 443 Third. In 1911, Edward added a Real Estate business to his studio. In 1911, he produced Red Wing’s first color postcards. Red Wing has an interesting history. The town was named after a Sioux Indian chief. Red Wing was a leading US wheat production area in the 1870’s. The town was also known for the production of stoneware. It is believed that the first ski club in the United States was formed in Red Wing.

Published in: on July 3, 2014 at 12:05 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PORTRAIT OF A HANDSOME COUPLE: JOE AND ANNE SCHWEITZER IN CANTON, OHIO

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Jacob S. Wissler operated a “Photographic Art Studio” at 129 Walnut Street in Canton, Ohio. According to an inscription on the reverse of this image, in 1889, “Joe and Aunt Ann Schweitzer” visited the studio to obtain a portrait. The result of their photographic venture is seen above. The Schweitzer’s appear in the 1920 and 1930 US census. Joe was born in 1876 in Ohio and he and his wife (listed as Anna M. Schweitzer) were living in Canton with their twenty year-old daughter (Leona M.). Joe’s parents were both born in Germany. In the 1920 census, Joe was working as a machine operator for a Roller Bearing company. Just ten years later, in 1930, Joe was both widowed and unemployed.

Published in: on July 2, 2014 at 11:35 am  Leave a Comment  
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PRETTY WOMAN WEARING A FANCY HAT IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

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This cabinet card may be a bit scruffed up but it is a beauty. The image features a very pretty young lady wearing a fancy hat. She is well dressed and has a lovely smile and sparkling eyes. The photographer of this terrific photograph is George F. Riel who plied his trade in Chicago, Illinois. He was born in 1856. He was married to Minnie Riel. Riel appears in a number of Chicago business directories (including 1877 and 1904) and is listed as a photographer. To view more photographs by George Riel, click on the category “Photographer: Riel”.

Published in: on July 1, 2014 at 11:34 am  Comments (1)  
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