SAD PHOTOGRAPH OF A BABY IN A COFFIN SURROUNDED BY GRIEVING FAMILY

I apologize to any Cabinet Card Gallery visitors who find this photograph upsetting or offensive. It is important to keep in mind that post mortem photographs such as this one, were not produced for voyeuristic purposes. Instead, these images were made for families to preserve their memories of their deceased loved ones. Nevertheless, I recognize that these photos are often upsetting to viewers, and in fact, no matter how many post mortem images I have seen, they still stir up a lot of sad emotions for me. The previous owner of this photograph reports that it was taken in Russia in the mid 1920’s. Pictured in the image is a baby in a small coffin covered by flowers, surrounded by grieving family. The mourners are dressed in dark winter clothing indicating that the photograph may have been taken outdoors.  (SOLD)

Published in: on September 15, 2017 at 12:00 pm  Comments (5)  
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PORTRAIT OF A WOMAN WEARING AN UNUSUAL HAT

This vintage real photo postcard features a woman wearing an unusual hat. I am thinking that the millinery designer of this hat designed it in the fog of a bad hangover, or perhaps the woman in the photograph wore the hat into the woods and exited with a branch stuck through her hat. In addition, the branch appears to be hosting one leaf and a caterpillar tent. The subject of this photograph is wearing a winter coat and a nice pursed smile. The AZO stamp box on the reverse of the postcard indicates that it was produced sometime between 1904 and 1918.  The identity of the hatted woman and the studio that took the photograph are unknown.  SOLD

Published in: on September 12, 2017 at 12:35 pm  Comments (5)  
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ADORABLE LITTLE GIRL IN LUTON, ENGLAND

The little girl seen in this cabinet card portrait is absolutely adorable. Her hair is disheveled but the “wild look” suits her. Note the toy seen in the bottom left hand corner of the photograph. The toy appears to be a train car, or perhaps, a circus car. The studio that produced this image is the American Photo Company which was located in Luton, England. Luton is a large town in Bedfordshire, about thirty miles northwest of London. It is interesting that the American Photo Company is located in England rather than in the United States. SOLD

Published in: on September 11, 2017 at 9:03 pm  Leave a Comment  
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SILENT FILM STAR SANDRA MILOVANOFF

This real photo vintage postcard features actress Sandra Milovanoff (1892-1957). Although she was Russian born, she was known for her roles in French cinema, particularly during the silent era. Milovanoff was very passionate about classical dance and attended a number of dance schools in St. Petersburg. She then joined the dance company of Anna Pavlova. She toured varied European cities but left Russia in 1917 in order to flee the Bolshevik Revolution. She went with her family to Monte Carlo where she played a small role in a film. She was noticed by French director Louis Feuillade who began using her in films. She had much success in film until the arrival of sound movies which basically destroyed her career. The IMDb credits her with 28 film roles between 1917 and 1950. Her films include “Les Miserables” (1925), “My Crimes After Mein Kampf” (1940), and “The Private Life of an Actor” (1948). A sample of her work can be seen in the video seen below (“In The Night” (1929) starring Sandra Milovanoff and Charles Vanel). This postcard was published by Cinemagazine in Paris, France and is part of a series (No. 114).

Published in: on September 9, 2017 at 6:41 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PORTRAIT OF A FASHIONABLE GENTLEMAN IN THE RESORT TOWN OF TORQUAY, ENGLAND

This cabinet card features a fashionable clean-cut gentleman posing for a studio portrait. His nice clothing indicates that he was a well-to-do man. Perhaps he was on vacation at the time of this photograph. He was photographed by James C. Dinham who operated the Gainsboroough Gallery in Torquay, England. Torquay is a seaside resort town located on the English Channel in southwest England. This gentleman may have been staying at one of the local resorts. A photograph of Dinham’s studio can be seen below. The photograph was taken in 1918 and the gallery is decorated for Armistice Day. The image and further information can be found at the Devon Heritage Site on the internet. Dinham established his business in the 1890’s. He had a very distinguished clientele but his gallery bordered a very poor area of the city. The residents lived in “ancient tenements” and were poor and lived in squalor. Dinham visited this neighborhood and took many photographs of colorful characters and street scenes. He gave these photos catchy titles but in truth, Dinham was engaging  in photo journalism. He was one of the pioneers in this field of photography. In researching Mr. Dinham, it was found that he began his studio 1881. The source reports that the gallery closed in about 1910 only to become “Dinham & Sons” which operated from 1910 until about 1939. Research also found that Dinham was cited in “Photography” (1898) for photographing the Duke of York during one of the Duke’s visits to Torbay (the Borough which includes Torquay).  SOLD

Published in: on September 8, 2017 at 2:05 pm  Comments (1)  
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PORTRAIT OF A YOUNG AND PRETTY WOMAN IN BUCHAREST, ROMANIA (PHOTO BY JULIETTA STUDIO)

A pretty young woman, holding a bouquet of flowers, poses for her portrait at a studio in Bucharest, Romania. Printing on the reverse of this real photo postcard reveals that the photographer was Julietta, an appointed  photographer of Romania’s royal court. This postcard is dated 1914.   (SOLD)

Published in: on September 3, 2017 at 12:08 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PORTRAIT OF A YOUNG MOTHER AND HER TWO CHILDREN IN DRESDEN, GERMANY

This carte de visite portrait features a pretty mother and her two adorable children. The older child, a boy, is wearing a nautical style outfit. The younger child, likely a girl, is wearing a necklace. The mother in this image is wearing a most interesting dress. The flower and large polka dot pattern is more “busy” than usually seen in photographs from this era. The photographer of this image is James Buchanan Aurig (1857-1935). He operated studios in Dresden, Germany. Aurig’s self portrait can be seen below. Aurig began working as a photographer at the age of 15 in Chemnitz. In 1878 he workied for photographer Johannes Schumacher in Dresden. He next worked with various Dresden photographers. He opened his first photographic studio in 1887. He photographed portraits, wedding photos, and current events. At the turn of the century he began to travel with his photographic equipment to the homes of famous Dresden residents to produce home portraits. He also was known for his architectural photographs. He was one of the most prominent photographers in Dresden at the turn of the century. One wonders if James Buchanon Aurig was named after the 15th US President, James Buchanan (1791-1868). Buchanan was the US President between 1857 and 1861. Aurig was born in 1857, the first year of Buchanan’s presidency. Based on the dates I just cited, it’s very likely the photographer was named after the President.   (SOLD)

Self Portrait of Photographer James B. Aurig

Published in: on September 1, 2017 at 12:45 pm  Comments (2)  
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PORTRAIT OF A PRETTY YOUNG WOMAN IN PASSAIC, NEW JERSEY

A pretty young woman sits on a bench and has her photographic portrait taken at the New York Studio in Passaic, New Jersey. She is wearing a watch, ring, and some type of fur animal. This vintage real photo postcard was produced by Defender.

Published in: on August 31, 2017 at 4:44 pm  Leave a Comment  
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AIN’T SHE SWEET: PORTRAIT OF AN ADORABLE LITTLE GIRL IN KONIGSBERG, GERMANY

This fantastic carte de visite portrait features an adorable little girl with beautiful eyes. She is wearing a white ruffle dress with lace trim. The photographer of this cdv image is Wilhelm Seiler. He operated a studio in Konigsfeld im Schwarwald, a town in Germany. This cdv is an unusual size. It measures approximately 4 1/2″ x 2″.  (SOLD)

Published in: on August 29, 2017 at 4:16 pm  Comments (2)  
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PORTRAIT OF AN ADORABLE LITTLE BOY IN SCHWERIN, GERMANY

An adorable little boy poses for his portrait at the studio of H. Tonn in Schwerin, Germany. The young child appears quite poised and is so cute in his outfit which includes overalls (or are those straps..suspenders), bow tie, and wide rimmed hat. The cdv has an inscription on it’s reverse that I could not translate.  (SOLD)

Published in: on August 28, 2017 at 11:14 am  Comments (2)  
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