This photograph is mounted on a textured cabinet card mount measuring about 6.25 by 9 inches, with the photographic image itself measuring about 4 by 5.5 inches. The mount features a decorative crest emblem printed near the lower left corner, while the photographer’s imprint (J. B. Pearlstien) appears at the lower right.The studio address places the studio in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn, an area that experienced substantial industrial and residential growth during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Greenpoint developed into a busy working-class district with factories, shipyards, and immigrant communities. Pearlstien was a talented photographer. The refined composition, elegant lighting, and carefully arranged pose suggest the work of an experienced studio photographer. Portraits of this style were particularly popular between about 1905 and 1915, when cabinet card mounts were still used but photographic formats were gradually shifting toward smaller prints and postcards. Here is some information about the photographer. Julius Bernhardt Pearlstien is listed in Trows Business Directory of the Boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens (1899) as operating a photography studio at 39 Greenpoint Avenue in Brooklyn. He was born sometime between 1877 and 1879. Pearlstien became a US citizen in 1900 while living in Brooklyn. He registered for the draft (World War I) in Brooklyn in 1917. In regard to condition, the photograph itself remains clear and well preserved, with good contrast and pleasing tonal range. The image has surface wear at its center bottom. The mount shows age-related wear consistent with its age, including light toning and handling marks. There is a small chipped corner at the upper left of the mount, along with minor edge wear. The reverse shows areas of surface disturbance where an old album mount or adhesive may once have been present. Despite these signs of age, the cabinet card remains an attractive and displayable antique portrait, with the image itself remaining strong and visually appealing (see scans).
This cabinet card is available for purchase at my store, The History Peddler, for $14.00 or best offer.
Interested collectors may view the listing here:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/236689841541
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 
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