PORTRAIT OF MUSIC HALL ACTRESS HILDA HAMMERTON (PHOTOGRAPH BY ALEXANDER BASSANO)

This vintage real photo postcard features beautiful music hall actress Miss Hilda Hammerton. Hammerton was known for being one of the “Cozy Corner Girls”. She and Gertrude Thornton, and Clare Richards appeared as the Cozy girls in the musical comedy, “The Earl and the Girl” (1903) which was produced at the Adelphi Theater. “Weekly Magazine” (1904) article reports that Hammerton performed a very heroic act. She risked her life to save the life of a little child. While out walking, she heard people screaming about a little girl in danger who had strayed into the roadway and was in “imminent danger” of being run over by a fast approaching vehicle. The actress ran to the scene and scooped up the child, and barely avoided being hit by the speeding truck. It was reported that witnesses to the scene gave her an ovation for her quick actions. There are three portraits of Miss Hammerton in England’s National Portrait Gallery. The talented photographer responsible for this lovely portrait is Bassano. Two of the three portraits of Hammerton in the National Portrait Gallery are by Alexander Bassano. Bassano  (1829 –1913) was a leading royal and high society photographer in Victorian London. This postcard was published in England by the Davidson Brothers. Davidson Brothers was located in both London and New York City. The firm operated between 1901 and 1911. This postcard is part of the “Real Photographic Series” (no. 2253). The message on this postcard is written in French, but the sender mailed it from England. The postmark indicates that it was stamped in Edinburgh, England in 1907. The postcard was mailed to someone in Paris, France.   SOLD

Published in: on March 9, 2018 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PORTRAIT OF A LOVELY AFRICAN AMERICAN COUPLE POSING ON THEIR FRONT PORCH

This vintage real photo postcard features a lovely African American couple posing on the porch of their house. Both the man and woman are well dressed and displaying a serious expression. An inscription on the reverse of the postcard indicates that the couple are “Mr. and Mrs. Johnson”. The “AZO” stamp box reveals that this photo was photographed sometime between 1904 and 1918. Finding vintage real photo postcard portraits of African Americans is an uncommon experience.

Published in: on March 7, 2018 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PORTRAIT OF A PRETTY LITTLE GIRL IN OAKLAND, MARYLAND

A pretty little girl stands on a wicker chair while posing for her portrait at the Pritchard studio in Oakland, Maryland. The child is displaying a serious expression. Her curly hair on each side of her head is held in place by ribbons. She has a sash running across her midriff. I believe that it may signify that she is in mourning although that is just a hypothesis. An inscription on the reverse of the cabinet card identifies the girl as “Cousin Alice Salter”. Her name is too common to find biographical information about her. The photographer of this cabinet card image is Galusha H. Pritchard. The 1880 US census identifies him as being born in 1850 and as a working photographer. In 1889 he married Ella Pettit. The 1910 US census revealed that Pritchard was still working as a photographer. The Bulletin of Photography (1912) has an announcement stating that Pritchard’s photograph studio was taken over by James Bell.  SOLD

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Published in: on March 6, 2018 at 12:00 pm  Comments (5)  
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STUDIO PORTRAIT OF A LOVELY COUPLE IN TERRE HAUTE, INDIANA

This cabinet card portrait features a portrait of a lovely couple by the Biel studio in Terre Haute, Indiana. The woman in this image is sitting while the gentleman is standing behind her. Cabinet photographs of couples may have only the woman sitting, or only the man sitting. I wonder how it was decided who gets to sit in the chair in the typical couple’s photograph. It is my guess that the ultimate decision is made by the photographer and it is based on creating the pose that photographs best. I imagine that the height of the man and woman being photographed is an important factor in such decisions. The photographer who took this photograph is Henry T. Biel (1855-1929). Biel’s parents were Prussian immigrants. He was married to Francinea E.Fundy in 1879. Biel was listed as a photographer in both the 1880 and 1910 US census. Biel began his photography career at the ripe old age of fifteen. At that age, he became under the tutelage of G. H. Wright, a photographer in Terre Haute. He struck out on his own  in 1886 after purchasing the John Adams studio. In time, he became a fixture in the city of Terre Haute as a photographer. In researching Mr. Biel’s background, I began to wonder what the words “Terre Haute” mean. I found the answer to be that Terre Haute was derived from the French term for “Highland”. The name likely was created by early 18th century French explorers who were noting the area’s unusual location above the Wabash River.

Published in: on March 2, 2018 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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THE DOG SOLDIERS: SEVEN SOLDIERS AND THEIR MASCOT JACK RUSSELL TERRIER

This vintage real photo postcard features a portrait of seven young soldiers and their mascot Jack Russell Terrier. I do not know what army these men served in. Perhaps a visitor to the Cabinet Card Gallery will educate us via a comment. The stamp box on the reverse of this postcard indicates that the postcard was printed on “P M C” card stock. Therefore, this photo postcard was produced sometime between 1920 and 1935. The men served in the military between World War I and World War II.

Published in: on March 1, 2018 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
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