This cabinet card features a handsome young man dressed in his railroad uniform. His cap identifies his occupation as a brakeman. A brakeman’s job was to assist in the braking of a train when the conductor wants the train to slow down or stop. Among the job’s other duties was to ensure that all couplings between cars were set properly. It was a dangerous job. The cap also identifies the railway abbreviation as being “M. C. R. ?.”. The photographer of this image was George F. Sterling. His business was based in Bay City, Michigan. The reverse of the photo has an advertisement for Sterling’s business. The ad includes a drawing of his photographic studio rail car. Attatching the studio to a train gives the photographer the advantage of having the opportunity to gain business in more than one town. Sterling’s studio car was attatched to a train belonging to the Michigan Central Railroad. The railroad was established in 1846. In time, the railway served Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Ontario (Canada). In 1867 the Michigan Central was taken over by the New York Central Railroad company. (SOLD)
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 
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