This vintage photograph features five cement workers posing with four statues. My hypothesis is that these men are the creators of the statues. Four of the men are wearing work shirts and the fifth man is dressed in a suit and wearing a pocket watch. The better dressed gentleman is likely the manager or boss of the four workmen. This image measures 5″ x 5″ is quite an unusual occupational photograph. (SOLD)
This cabinet card portrait is particularly interesting because the young man in the photograph is wearing an interesting pair of glasses. The style of glasses that he is wearing is called “Pince-nez”. These glasses do not have earpieces but instead are supported by pinching the wearers nose. If the young man’s glasses had earpieces, it would look very similar to the glasses worn today. The gentleman in this photo is well coiffed. His handlebar mustache is perfect. He looks very studious. This cabinet card was produced by the Snyder studio in Topeka, Kansas. Charles J Snyder (1855-1925) was born of German parents in Kentucky. He married Laura Hooven Snyder in 1877. He is listed in the 1880 US Census as a photographer as well as in the 1921 Topeka Directory. Take note below of the verso of this cabinet card. If the reverse of a cabinet card can be beautiful, this backing is beautiful. It is also an unusual cabinet card verso design. It looks like the back of a playing card. (SOLD)
This vintage real photo postcard features a cute dog sniffing the cork on a bottle of whiskey. Below the photo is the caption “His Master’s Vice”. The dog on this comical postcard appears to be Jack Russell or a Chihuahua. Of course, the dog certainly may be a mixed breed. The postcard was postmarked in Seattle in the year 1946. The recipient of this postcard was Colleen Bolze, a sixteen year old girl in Chanute, Kansas. Printed on the right bottom of the card is the name “C & D”. This may represent the publisher but initial research was unable to confirm that C & D was a postcard publishing company.
This vintage bawdy photograph features a young woman scantily clothed and flashing a terrific smile. Her expression is very inviting. I wish I knew the story associated with this risque image. My hypothesis is that the woman is an actress and part of a vaudeville show. Her act was likely focused on bringing men into the theater. She may have been a dancer or a singer. Perhaps she was talented in both dance and song. Note her dress. It certainly didn’t require a lot of material to produce. It shows a lot of the performer’s body, but it is tastefully done. The dress covers “the essentials”. Vaudeville acts were very popular in the United States from the early 1880’s through the early 1930’s. Vaudeville was a genre of theater that was composed of a series of separate and unrelated acts that were presented together at one performance. It is difficult to determine when this photograph was taken. It certainly was produced sometime in the early period of vaudeville. This photograph is not a postcard. I do not believe that the image is a trimmed cabinet card, though it has a cabinet card type board. An examination of the photos edges reveal that they are straight and smooth. The photograph measures about 5 1/4″ x 3 1/4″. There is a small pinhole through the top center of the image. Someone, decades ago, appreciated this wonderful photograph enough, to hang it on their wall. ADDENDUM : I have been informed that the woman seen in this photograph is part of Mack Sennetts bathing beauty troupe. This has not yet been confirmed but worth noting.
This vintage real photo postcard is one of the more risque Ross Verlag postcards in the Cabinet Card Gallery. The postcard is of German origin and is part of a series (no. 1581/1). It was published between 1927 and 1928. Preliminary research found little information about Inez Van Bree. A defunct University of Toronto website labels Miss Bree as a silent movie siren/star. The photographer of this portrait appears to be Ernst Schneider and the photograph was taken in Berlin, Germany. Research about Mr Schneider yielded a great deal of information. He was considered to be one of the most celebrated studio photographers in Berlin during three decades (1900’s, 1910’s, 1920’s. He photographed many celebrities from the world of theater, opera, circuses, and film. He was also one of the most prominent fashion photographers in Berlin. In addition, he was well known for his nude photography and he published books showcasing his work in this domain. Sometime around 1908 Schneider began working with postcard publishers “Rotophot” and “Neue Photographische Gesellschaft” (NPG). In 1919 he began working with Ross Verlag. SOLD
This is one of those special type of photographs that collectors come across on an infrequent basis. The young girl in this portrait is pretty, beautifully dressed, and charming. She is wearing a lace trimmed coat over a lace trimmed dress and is wearing an adorable wide brimmed hat. The 5″ x 7″ image was photographed by the Monaco Studio at 205 Montgomery Avenue in San Francisco, California. J.B. Monaco (1856-1938) was a noted photographer in San Francisco. In fact, a collection of his photographs can be found at the San Francisco History Center at the San Francisco Public Library. In 1875 Monaco arrived in the United States as an immigrant from Switzerland. His name was originally Giovanni Battista. He joined his brother in Eureka, Nevada. Louis Monaco operated a photo studio there and J.B. joined him in the business, thus launching a career as a photographer that would span 62 years. In 1887 J. B. moved to San Francisco where he was soon joined by his brother who died in 1897. During J. B.’s career, he distinguished himself with his earthquake and fire photographs. These images have been described as dramatic and journalistic. He documented much of early Nevada and Northern California history. His portraiture work of prominent San Francisco individuals and their families is considered to be exceptional. During his career, Monaco was described as the “Dean of North Beach photographers”. A photograph of Monaco’s photo studio, as well as a portrait of J. B. Monaco, can be seen below. (SOLD)
Monaco’s Studio (photo by JB Monaco)
J. B. Monaco
This cabinet card photograph features four siblings. The foursome include three brothers and one sister. The children are identified by first name via an inscription on the reverse of the photo. The boys are Emil, Carl, and Niels. I am unable to decipher the sister’s name though it is clear that she was born in 1890. The image comes from the studio of Budtz Muller & Company which was located in Copenhagen, Denmark. Bertel Christian Budtz Muller (1837-1884) was a Danish photographer. Muller began his career as a pharmacist before he became a popular photographer in Copenhagen. In 1884, Muller’s studio was taken over by Ludvig Offenberg. Despite the change of ownership, Offenberg did not change the name of the studio. It is interesting to note that Muller’s will included a provision to set up a fund to support needy photographers. It is also of note that Muller is also known for his portrait of writer, Hans Christian Andersen. SOLD
This cabinet card portrait features a baby sitting in a baby carriage. The carriage is a deluxe baby transporter. The vehicle looks well built and sits high off the ground. The carriage is accessorized with a large umbrella to protect the child from the sun or rain. The photographer of this image is Charles W. Rouse. He operated a photography studio in Jersey City, New Jersey. A list of early New Jersey photographers reveal that Charles Rouse operated out of at least six addresses in Jersey City during his career. In addition, at one point he ran a studio in Belmar, New Jersey. He conducted business at the address listed on this photograph (442 Palisade Avenue) between 1888 and 1894. (SOLD)
This vintage real photo postcard features a couple in a rowboat. This romantic rowboat cruise is likely taking place in the photographer’s studio. Interestingly, the young lady is looking at the photographer while the the rowboat captain is staring at his pretty first mate. The “Cyko” stamp box on this postcard indicates that it was published sometime between 1904 and 1920.
A well dressed and handsome young man wearing a flashy bow tie poses for his portrait at an unidentified photography studio. The gentleman has a neat mustache and thick dark curly hair. Note that his wild patterned bow tie looks like a colorful butterfly.
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THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 