This fantastic cabinet card photograph is truly unusual. An oval photo of a handsome young uniformed sailor is in the center of the image. Below his portrait is a photograph of two navy battleships. The name of the sailors ship is embroidered into his cap. The sailor was on the French navy torpedo destroyer, the Cognee. The ship was one of 13 Claymore-class destroyers built around 1905. The photographer of this image is Alphonse Leenaerts and his studio was located in Toulon, France. Toulon is a port city on southern France’s Mediterranean coast. The city serves as a major naval base. Alphonse’s brother Henri, was also a photographer. The pair, who were Belgian, operated in Toulon between 1871 and 1914. They worked independently. Alphonse moved to the address listed on this photograph in about 1903. The reverse of this photo has advertising indicating that Alphonse won a medal for his work in 1909. This photo was taken shortly after that date. This cabinet card photograph is in very good condition (see scans).
Buy this original Cabinet Card Photograph (includes shipping within the US) #2917
To purchase this item, click on the Pay with PayPal button below
$63.50
Buy this original Cabinet Card Photograph (includes International shipping outside the US) 2917
To purchase this item, click on the Pay with PayPal button below
$72.00
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 
Wow! That is a real “find.” The name Leenaerts probably translated to Leonhart or Leonhardt when it cam to the US. When we moved from town to “the country” (3 miles away!), a man named Leonhart and his family ran a general store within walking distance.