This exceptionally attractive late-Victorian cabinet card presents two fashionably dressed young women posed together in an elaborate studio setting. One woman is seated at the left while her companion stands beside a richly carved architectural prop. Their hands meet at the center of the composition in a deliberate and affectionate clasp, creating a feeling of closeness rarely conveyed so clearly in formal nineteenth-century studio portraiture. Whether they were sisters, relatives or especially close friends is unknown. Both women wear remarkably elaborate period clothing. The seated woman’s full-length striped dress is particularly eye-catching, with a fitted bodice, high collar, decorative neck treatment, and a generously draped skirt. Her companion wears a darker fitted dress embellished with floral-patterned trim, numerous buttons, and a prominent light-colored bow. Both women are crowned with exceptional hats lavishly decorated with flowers, feathers, and fabric ornamentation. The women also appear to be wearing gloves or decorative hand coverings. The standing woman’s covering resembles a fingerless glove or gauntlet that leaves her fingers exposed. The seated woman’s hand in her lap appears to be gloved, although the precise construction is somewhat difficult to distinguish from the extended cuff of her sleeve. The studio setting is unusually detailed. The women pose against a painted urban or architectural backdrop, surrounded by a massive carved balustrade ornamented with scrollwork and grotesque or lion-like faces. Draped fabric, simulated masonry and artificial grass complete the scene, giving the portrait a grand, almost theatrical atmosphere. This photograph was taken at the Staiger studio in Michigan City, Indiana. The Indiana Album’s Directory of Indiana Photographers confirms that Staiger was a studio owner or partner in Halladay & Staiger in 1887, and later in Jungerman & Staiger during the 1890s. Unfortunately, the historical directory has not yet established Staiger’s first name. Professionally, the available evidence places him firmly within Michigan City’s commercial photography trade from at least 1887 into the 1890s. SOLD
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 
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