This cabinet card is not a high quality photograph. It is out of focus and poorly posed. However, don’t complain because as the saying goes, never look a gift horse in the mouth. Speaking about horses, what do you think about this fancy equine? It is likely a horse from a circus or carnival. Although the hair extensions on the horse could not be more gaudy, it is important to note that someone went to a great deal of trouble and spent a lot of time to dress up this horse. The man handling the horse may be a trainer or perhaps a barn worker. The photograph was taken outside. There is no available information pertaining to the identity of the horse or photographer. The location where the photograph was taken is also unknown. This cabinet card photograph is in fair condition (see scans).
Buy this Vintage Original Cabinet Card (includes shipping within the US) #5201
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$75.00
Buy this Vintage Original Cabinet Card (includes International shipping outside the US) #5201
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This cabinet card portrait features eleven members of a band. They are wearing dark uniforms and with the exception of the drummer, they are holding small instruments. This musical gourp could be a community band, a religious band, or possibly a school band. Given the available evidence; there is no way of knowing. SOLD
This gorgeous vintage undivided real photo postcard captures a smiling little girl lying in bed and lovingly looking at her doll beside her. Sweet dreams are made of this. This vintage postcard is in good condition (see scans).
Buy this Vintage Real Photo Postcard (includes shipping within the US) #5049
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$28.79
Buy this Vintage Real Photo Postcard (includes International shipping outside the US) 5049
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This cabinet card features an attractive family posing for their portrait at the studio of J. F. Langhans in Prague, Czechlosvakia. Mother, father, and their two sons are all beautifully dressed. Father appears to be small of stature and looks quite austere with his hands folded across his chest and his stern facial expression. The children in this photograph seem significantly more relaxed than their parents. Take note of the style of father’s eye glasses. In regard to the photographer, Jan Langhans (1851-1926) is the best known figure in Czech photography and his gallery is still in existence. There is a wealth of information about Langhans online at the “Langhans Archive”. The site provides biographical and historical information as well as the “Gallery of Personalities”. The gallery has photographs of many prominent Czech citizens as well as well known visitors to Czechoslovakia.. These portraits date from 1890 through 1948. The studio was founded by Jan Langhans, who was a food chemist by training but developed a passion for photography. He opened his first studio in 1876 and was the preeminent portrait photographer of the region. He opened a number of branch studios throughout Czechoslovakia. He photographed many celebrities and aristocrats. After World War I the gallery possessed over a million negatives. He gave the studio to his daughter Marie and her husband Viktor Meisner. After World War II, his grandson Viktor Meisner took over the studio. In 1948, soon after the Communist take-over, the studio was nationalized and most of the negatives were destroyed. Fortunately, more negatives were discovered and they comprise the Gallery’s current collection. This cabinet card has corner wear. The photograph has excellent clarity and is in overall good condition (see scans).
Buy this Vintage Original Cabinet Card (includes shipping within the US) #5199
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$54.00
Buy this Vintage Original Cabinet Card (includes International shipping outside the US) 5199
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“The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News (1903) has a short article about Miss Fyfe Alexander. The magazines theater critic writes about her after seeing her perform in J M Barrie’s comedy “Little Mary”. The writer describes Alexander as “a pretty and charming young actress” and “she has the good qualities that go towards the making of a good actress, and is likely to take a prominent place in her profession”. She was not yet twenty years old at the time of this review. The article also reveals that Alexander was from a theatrical family and that she made her stage debut in 1901. The message on this postcard is interesting. The writer states that “Oh! How the tears did come” when she read a book entitled “The Blunders of a Bashful Man” (1881). This postcard was published by Rapid Photo and Miss Alexander’s photo was taken by female photographer, Lizzie Caswall Smith. The card was postmarked in 1906. (SOLD)
This vintage real photo postcard features British actress, Miss Octavia Kenmore. Kenmore was an actress who performed in many productions of Shakespeare’s and Ibsen’s plays. She also was a Broadway actress. She was in eight Broadway shows from 1921 through 1947. Her appearances included a role in Hedda Gabler. Kenmore received many fine reviews in her long theatrical career. In a review of her London debut performance, one critic was not totally impressed. He states that she had a pleasing voice, intelligent and pretty features, and a good presence. He continues with the comment that she should have had more experience before taking on the difficult role in W. S. Gilbert’s fairy comedy, “The Palace of Truth” (1888). The critic’s final assessment of Miss Kenmore was biting. He declared that “Her performance was emphatically one of promise, not of fulfillment.” This vintage portrait postcard is unique in that the reverse of the postcard has a message from Kenmore. She has also signed the postcard. Her signature has not been authenticated. The photograph of Miss Kenmore seen on this card, was taken by Claude Harris (1883-1961). He has 61 photographs in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery. His studio was located in London. He fought in the Boer War and World War I. He produced and directed a film “The Sanctuary” (1916). He photographed many celebrated theater celebrities. Harris was considered a master of lighting.
This cabinet card portrait of two children and their pet pug, illustrates the power of the internet in identifying subjects in antique photographs. The reverse of this photograph has some identity clues in an inscription that states “Niles 3 years Grace 6 years Jan 3rd 1889”. Since the photographer of this image (W. G. Mandeville) worked out of Lowville, New York, it was assumed that the children in the photograph lived in, or around, Lowville (located in the western foothills of the Adirondack Mountains). A search of the 1900 U.S. census (Lowville) was done for siblings named Niles and Grace. A listing for Niles and Grace Bateman was found and their ages were a match for the age information on the reverse of the cabinet card. Once establishing their identity, additional biographical data was obtained. At the time of the 1900 census, Grace was seventeen years old and Niles was thirteen. Their father was Carroll Bateman and he was a proprietor of a hotel. Their mother was named Jennie Ruggles Bateman. The 1910 U. S. census found Niles working as a clerk in his father’s hotel. The 1920 U.S. census reveals that Niles had become an “Automobile Agent” and was married to a woman named Vera. The 1930 census discloses some major changes in the life of Niles Bateman. He had two children (Walter and Barbara) and had become an “Automobile Dealer”. The photographer of this image, William Garrett Mandeville (1865-1944), is one of the subjects of Robert Ogden’s book, “Exposing the Wilderness: Early Twentieth Century Adirondack Postcards” (1999). Ogden considers Mandeville one of the best photographers of the genre of scenic postcards. Mandeville was born in New York, dropped out of school at sixteen years of age, and in 1883 went to work for photographer, Ogden Hotchkiss. Hotchkiss had a studio in Norwich, New York. In 1886 Mandeville joined George W. Carter in operating a photography studio but he left the partnership that same year to run his own gallery. He married his wife, Bertha in 1886 and had a daughter (Dorothy). In the 1930 U. S. census, Mandeville, at 65 years of age, was still listed as a photographer. In regard to condition, note the tiny pinhole under “Lowville” at bottom of card. Note bent top right corner of card. Overall Good Condition (See Scans).
Buy this Vintage Original Cabinet Card (includes shipping within the US) #5190
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$88.00
Buy this Vintage Original Cabinet Card (includes International shipping outside the US) 5190
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This vintage real photo postcard features American silent and sound film actress, Lois Wilson (1894-1988). She also directed two films and performed on the stage. She appeared on Broadway three times between 1937 and 1968. Her 1968 appearance was in “I Never Sang For My Father”. She was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania but she and her family moved to Alabama when she was quite young. She graduated from Alabama Normal College and became a school teacher before venturing out to pursue a film career. In 1915, after winning the equivalant of the Miss Alabama beauty contest, she headed for Hollywood. She was quickly hired by Victor Film Company for a number of small roles. In 1916, she worked in a minor film role for female director Lois Weber. Weber took an interest in Wilson and began preparing her for future stardom. Wilson appeared in a number of films for various studios until she was signed by Paramount in 1919. She remained with the company until 1927. She was a WAMPAS Baby Star of 1922. WAMPAS Baby Stars were projected to become future major Hollywood stars. The IMDb credits Wilson with 159 screen appearances between 1915 and 1963. Her most noted roles were in “The Covered Wagon” (1923) and “The Great Gatsby (1926). She played opposite major leading men including Rudolph Valentino, John Gilbert and Ronald Reagon. She made a successful transition to sound movies. However, she became disappointed with many of the roles she played in the 1930’s, and retired in 1941. Wilson also performed on television and played roles in soap operas such as “The Guiding Light”, “The Secret Storm”, and the “Edge of Night”. Lois Wilson never married. This vintage postcard was published by Cinemagazine (Paris) as part of a series (No.237). SOLD
This vintage postcard features a pretty young Egyptian woman dressed in traditional costume. She is wearing a head and face covering hijab (veil). The postcard was published by the celebrated ethnographic photography firm, Lehnert & Landrock. The company was located in Cairo Egypt. Rudolf Franz Lehnert (1878-1948) & Ernst Heinrich Landrock (1878-1966) were the principals of the firm.. Lehnert was of German origin, while Landrock was from Bohemia. The pair met in Switzerland and decided to go into business together. Lehnert was the photographer and Landrock was the administrator. Landrock organized trips, managed the photo studio and photo production, and marketed the photographs and prints. They were photographers in Tunis and in Egypt, They also opened studios in Munich (Germany) and Leipzig (Germany). They produced many photographs from Egypt and Tunisia. Their first studio was in Tunis. They photographed monuments and sites in those countries, but were most known for their erotic images of Arab women, often posing in harem themes. Sometimes the photographers seemed more concerned about producing erotic photographs rather than documenting everyday life in these Middle Eastern countries. Lehnert and Landrock were well acclaimed for their work and the duo have images in a number of museums, including Philadelphia’s Penn Museum an the Musee de l’elysee in Lausanne, Switzerland. Note the edgewear on the left side of the card. The postcard is in overall good condition (see scans).
Buy this Vintage Real Photo Postcard (includes shipping within the US) #5038
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$42.00
Buy this Vintage Real Photo Postcard (includes International shipping outside the US) 5038
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This cabinet card features a portrait of a young man sitting on a wooden high back chair. He is dressed in a sporty manner. The combination of his striped pants and his checkered jacket won’t win any fashion awards. The gentleman’s casual sitting position and his facial expression gives an impression of self assuredness. This cabinet card photo was taken at the Swan studio in Norway, Maine. John Wesley Swan (1857-?) appears in the 1884 Portland, Maine city directory as a photographer. The 1900 US census reveals that Swan was Canadian born and lived in Norway with his wife (Annie) and their two daughters. Swan married his wife in 1883. According to Anthony’s Photographic Bulletin (1900), Swan’s studio was destroyed by fire and he lost a large number of valuable negatives of scenery in the area of Norway. The journal also states that the “loss was large and the insurance is said to be small”. Swan was the official photographer of the Grand Trunk Railway system. He won a gold medal at the Paris Exposition according to Photo-Era magazine (1900). At one point in his career in Norway, Swan had a partner in his business (Swan & Cobb). John Wesley Swan was involved in a bizarre incident that made the annals of the history of Norway. The book, “A History of Norway, Maine: From the Earliest Settlement to the Close of the Year 1922”, tells a mysterious story about Mr. Swan. While on a trip to Boston in 1893, Swan disappeared for a period of about six months. The writer states that Swan “claimed to have been sand-bagged and robbed in Boston and when he partially recovered consciousness found himself in New Orleans”. His memory had “left him” and he wandered around until his memory returned while he was in Texas. Swan returned to Norway and explained his disappearance to his friends and family, and community. According to the writer, many doubted the validity of his explanation. SOLD
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