This cabinet card portrait is one of those special photographs that appears to be trying to tell the viewer a story. Here is the story as I see it. An adorable and well dressed young child stands on a chair next to the photo portrait of his/her mother. The child’s mother has died and this cabinet card photograph was taken to serve as a keepsake memorial photo. The child can refer to this photo to preserve the memory of his/her mother. This image was beautifully photographed. The pose and the props, as well as the clarity of the image, help make this an exceptional photograph. The talented photographer of this cabinet card is the Bates & Nye Studio in Denver, Colorado. Photographer W. L. Bates appears in the 1881 Denver city directory under the occupation of photographer. A Colorado genealogical site contends that Bates worked as a photographer in Denver between 1880 and 1890. Preliminary research yielded no information about the second partner in the gallery (Nye). (SOLD)
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