This touching 1887 cabinet card portrait captures two teenage girls posed gracefully in a lush, studio garden setting. One of the young women is identified on the reverse as Stella Pape (DeStella L. Pape, 1872–1956). She was about sixteen years old when this photograph was taken. One of the women sits tall and composed, her expression poised yet full of youthful curiosity, while her companion—slightly younger and seated beside her—leans forward with a softer, more reflective look. Together, they create an image that feels both intimate and timeless, showing the gentle friendship and grace of Victorian girlhood. Both girls are dressed in finely detailed 1880s gowns, complete with ruffled collars, pleated bodices, and corseted waists that reflect the fashion of the late Victorian era. Each wears floral adornments on their bodices and holds sprigs of blossoms in their hands, suggesting spring or early summer—a classic motif for Criley & Wagner’s “artistic photography.” The backdrop, featuring vines and a painted landscape, reinforces the romantic atmosphere typical of high-end portrait studios of the period. The studio responsible for this fine image, Criley & Wagner, operated in Butler, Pennsylvania during the 1880s and 1890s. A brief biographical note helps bring this cabinet card to life: DeStella “Stella” L. Pape was born in 1872 in Butler, Pennsylvania. In the 1900 U.S. Census, she is listed as living with her mother Mary and brother Nielsen in Butler. She later married George Reiber, a man twenty-one years her senior, and the couple welcomed a son, George Jr., in 1905. Stella eventually moved to Pittsburgh, where she passed away in 1956. She now rests beside her son, closing the circle of a life that began in this small Pennsylvania town over a century ago. Butler, Pennsylvania, the setting for this image, is a small city located about 35 miles north of Pittsburgh. Once a thriving industrial town, it’s now best known to many Americans as the site of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump during a 2024 campaign rally—an event that unexpectedly placed Butler in the national spotlight. This cabinet card is in very good antique condition, with rich tonal contrast and excellent clarity. The mount is clean and sturdy, showing only light edge wear typical of its age. The back is especially attractive, featuring ornate sepia-printed advertising for the Criley & Wagner studio, along with the handwritten inscription identifying Stella Pape and the year 1887 (see scans). I own at least three other cabinet cards from this studio. Remarkably, one of these cabinet photographs also features Stella Pape. In that photo, Stella is accompanied by three teenage companions. (SOLD)
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 
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