This is a late 19th-century cabinet card family portrait photographed in Elmira, New York, by J. E. Whitley. The photograph depicts four identified family members, whose names are clearly written in period pencil on the reverse, an important genealogical and historical feature. The individuals are identified as: Amelia Burnham Cornell, Willis C. Burnham, Estella M. Burnham Dubert, and C?. R. Burnham. The presence of these names strongly suggests this cabinet card was retained as a family record rather than a commercial portrait. The composition shows two seated figures in the foreground and two standing behind, all dressed in well-tailored late Victorian clothing. The women wear high-collared dresses with fitted bodices and decorative closures, consistent with fashion of the 1880s–1890s, while the men are dressed in formal suits, one with a prominent mustache and watch chain, signaling middle-class respectability. The painted studio backdrop and architectural props are characteristic of Whitley’s Elmira studio work and add depth and formality to the image. Cabinet cards by J. E. Whitley are known for their clarity, balanced composition, and regional New York provenance. The photographer of this image is John H. Whitley. He was born in Candor, New York in 1831. He was a photographer in Oswego, New York, from 1858 through 1861. His next position was working with photographer C. C.Doty in Elmira, New York. After a short time he left his employ to work for the Erie Railroad car shop in Elmira. When the shop was destroyed by fire, he returned to photography and worked with Elmira photographer A. P. Hart. By 1864, Whitley had opened his own photography gallery in Elmira. SOLD
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 
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