This cabinet card features a portrait of an attractive young lady. She is posed with her back toward the camera, a pose which offers a profile view. The photographer of this image is Samuel Sharpsteen of Grand Rapids, Michigan and the photograph was taken in 1890. The previous owner of this cabinet card stated that Sharpsteen was of the Jewish faith, but that is not factually correct. There is a tendency for owners of cabinet cards to see a name that “sounds Jewish” and assume that the bearer of that name, must be Jewish. This kind of logic results in many incorrect identifications of Jewish photographers. It so happens, that Mr. Sharpsteen was of the Methodist faith. Samuel Sharpsteen was born in 1850 near Battle Creek, Michigan. His parents were native New Yorkers who were among the early settlers of Michigan. He was educated in Battle Creek’s public schools and at age 20 left home to apprentice in photography. He then went of Owosso, Michigan, where he and his older brother opened a gallery. After six months, his brother left the partnership; and Sharpsteen stayed in Owosso until 1882. He also married his wife there. His wife’s name was Nattie Tuttle, and she was from Cleveland, Ohio. His next location was Ionia, Michigan, where he stayed 8 years. An 18 month stint in Detroit was followed by his move to Grand Rapids. His gallery was in Grand Rapids from 1888 until , at least, 1903. His studio moved around a lot. Research located nine different Grand Rapids locations over the years that he was there. In addition, he had a partner in 1890 and their studio was known as Sharpsteen & Andrews. The Bulletin of Photography (1916) announced Sharpsteen’s death. He died in Grand Rapids at age 71. This cabinet card photograph is in very good condition (see scans).
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This cabinet card portrait of a young child was produced by Hartley’s Studios. Hartley operated his studio in Chicago, Illinois (309 Madison Street). The studio was the” largest and finest equipped photographic gallery in the world”, and was “alive with the best photographic talent possible to procure”. These accolades are attributable to Hartley. The self promoting statements were printed on the reverse of the photograph. The child in this photograph is not identified, nor is it clear whether the subject is a boy or girl. Most likely the subject is female, based on her clothing, necklace, and hair bow. The child is very cute and has an interesting expression. She looks pensive, possibly even suspicious or anxious. It is interesting to note that she appears to be wearing a dark belt. It is possible that the belt is part of her dress, but one wonders if the belt is actually a device to hold her in the seat. To view other photographs by Hartley, and to learn more about him, click on cabinet card gallery’s category “Photographer: Hartley”. SOLD
This vintage photograph features a mother and her son. The pair are dressed for winter. This image exudes a lot of emotion. It is easy to sense the bond between the boy and his mother. My impression is that the photograph captures the boy comforting his mother., rather than the other way around. Each has an arm around the other, but mom looks to be in a passive role. The photograph was found in Moscow, Russia. An inscription on the reverse of the photo appears to indicate that it was taken in 1954. This photograph measures about 3 1/2 ” x 2 1/4″. SOLD
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The pretty young woman seen in this carte de visite portrait, is named Anna Lesian. An inscription on the reverse of the cdv reveals her name and the year (1890) that the photograph was taken. The photo was taken at the studio of A. Liebert, in Paris, France. The Getty Museum, located in Los Angeles, California, as well as other fine museums, have photographs in their collections by Paris photographer, Alphonse J. Liebert (1827-1913). Many of his Parisian subjects were actresses. Perhaps Miss Lesian is one of those actresses. Mr. Liebert has an interesting story. He was a photographer in Nevada City, California (1857-1862), and later, operated in Paris (1863-1890’s). He was born in France. He became an officer in the French Navy. He left the navy in 1848 to study daguerreotypy. He must have reenlisted in the navy because In 1851, he arrived in San Francisco, as a Lieutenant on a French ship. This was a time when there was much excitement about Gold mining. As a result, there was a mass desertion of the ship’s crew. The sailors joined the rush for gold. Liebert had in mind, his own venture. He and two partners decided to take on the project of refurbishing a steamship. They sought investors and hired workers to transform the ship. However, due to the partners inexperience, the venture failed. Liebert than tried gold mining but met little success. In 1857 he opened a photo gallery in Nevada City. He lost thousands of dollars after a fire in 1858. In 1859 Liebert ridiculed a former photography pupil of his, named Louis Celarie, in the press. This started a bitter professional feud. Soon after, Liebert announced that he had won a medal at the state fair. Unfortunately, there was no evidence to confirm this claim. The competition between Liebert and Celarie was fierce. Each offered special promotions to best the other. By 1861, Liebert triumphed, evidenced by the sale of Celarie’s studio. About a year later, Liebert sold his photo gallery. By 1863, he had returned to France and opened a gallery specializing in tintypes. Liebert closely identified with his photography experience in America, and as a result, he named his Paris gallery “Photographie Americaine”. That very name can be seen on the reverse of this CDV. Liebert began to write photography articles and books, and ultimately, invented a prototype solar camera. In 1867, Liebert had a problem with the law. He was sentence to two months in prison and levied a fine of 200 francs. He was charged for the intent to distribute banned post mortem photographs. These were not photos of some random person. Instead, they were images of Emperor Maximillian, who had been executed in Mexico. Liebert ultimately did exhibit these photos. Liebert was becoming more and more successful. His photo gallery was so lavish that a reviewer for the British Journal of Photography wrote that it was “worthy of the smiles of the ‘God of Light’, and a repository for some of the best productions of the photographic art”. In 1879, Liebert’s gallery was the first studio to utilize electric light. By 1880, he was considered to have the most impressive photo studio in Paris. This carte de visite portrait has excellent clarity and is in very good condition (see scans). 
A young child and dog pose for their portrait at the photo studio of Dietrich and White in Chemnitz, Germany. On the reverse of the cdv, photographer White is further identified as “Joh Carl White”. Chemnitz is a city in eastern Germany. To be more exact, it is located in Saxony. 
This vintage real photo scalloped postcard features two woman chatting as they are working in their village. The woman sitting on the “step ladder” may be as young as preteen. Note some of the objects in the photograph. Piled wood, a wicker basket, bamboo sticks, and a bowl are all visible. Both woman are barefoot. The former owner of this photo postcard reports that the photograph was taken in Pays Tai. This area is located in the northwest of Vietnam. The people in this region are comprised of many different ethnic groups. In 1950 Tai Country’s regime went from a feudal system to an autonomous government, known as the “Tai Federation”. When the Republic of Vietnam was created in 1954, the Tai Federation ended. This vintage postcard is in very good condition (see scans).
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