As a collector of vintage photographs, once in a while I encounter a very special photograph. This image falls into the category of “special”. The photographer did an excellent job of capturing this well dressed elegant woman and her pet dog (border collie?). The woman and dog are well posed and their expressions are fabulous. The talented photographer who produced this image is H. G. Borgfeldt and his studio was located in Meriden, Connecticut. A light inscription on the reverse of this photograph indicates that the woman in the photo is Lina B. Letacher Bartlett and the dog’s name is Zemke. Preliminary research reveals that Lina Bartlett (age 24) appears in the 1900 US census. She lived in Meriden with her husband George A. Bartlett (age 36) and her father-in-law. The pair had married in 1892. Her husband was a farmer. Lina also appeared in the 1910 US census but her demographics had changed significantly. She still lived in Meriden but she had become head of her household after getting divorced. Her occupation was listed as “farmer”. She lived with two young men. At least one of them was her cousin. It was also found that Lina was born in Germany in 1876 and arrived in the United States in 1878. The talented photographer of this image is Henry G. Borgfeldt. Meriden business directories indicated that he ran a photography studio there at least between the years of 1902 and 1909.
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 
Obit for a person with his name claims he moved to Illinois.
Even the backdrop is especially pretty. So simple and painterly.