MAGGIE MITCHELL: CELEBRATED THEATRE ACTRESS WHO PERFORMED IN FRONT OF PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN

maggie mitchell

Maggie Mitchell (1832-1918) was a famous American actress, born in New York. Her first regular stage appearance was in “The Soldier’s Daughter” at the Chambers Street Theatre in 1851. Her first major success was as star of  “Oliver Twist”. She has been described as small, agile and energetic, with a special talent for comedy. In 1860, she appeared in “Fanchon, The Cricket” which was adapted for her from a George Sand novel. She performed in this and other plays in front of  President Abraham Lincoln. The photographer of the top image was celebrity photographer, Mora, of New York City. To view other photographs by Mora, click on Cabinet Card Gallery’s category, “Photographer: Mora”. The second portrait of Miss Mitchell was taken by the esteemed Philadelphia photographic studio, Gilbert & Bacon. This cabinet card image shows Maggie displaying a “come hither” expression. To view more photographs by this studio, click on the category “Photographer: Gilbert & Bacon”. ADDENDUM: A knowledgeable visitor to Cabinet Card pointed out that the second photo of Miss Mitchell is actually actress Lotta Crabtree (see comment below). A bit of research confirmed his astute observation. Lotta Crabtree, a woman who led a very interesting life, will receive her own entry in the cabinet card gallery in the next few days.

Published in: on April 15, 2015 at 12:01 pm  Comments (2)  
Tags: , , , , , , ,

COMPLIMENTS FROM MISS GERTRUDE FOSTER IN BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

worden front

A pretty young woman poses for a cabinet card portrait at the Worden studio in Boston, Massachusetts. This profile portrait provides a nice view of her lacy dress and pinned flowers. The reverse of the photograph has an inscription that states “Compliments of Miss Gertrude Foster”. Research was unable to find an actress, dancer, or singer with the name of  Gertrude Foster. It seems likely that the Gertrude Foster seen in this cabinet card was not a celebrity. Researching Miss Foster was unproductive because her name is too common in the Boston area. To view more photographs from the Worden studio, click on the category “Photographer: Worden”.         ADDENDUM: I stumbled upon some biographical data about Miss Foster. It turns out that Gertrude Foster was a stage actress during the cabinet card era. The Capital (1898) reported that she was the “leading lady actress” at the Alcazar Theater in San Francisco before accepting a place in the touring Belasco  & Thall Theater Company. Miss Foster is mentioned again in the San Francisco Call (1900). The newspaper reports her marriage to Edward W. Mansfield who was the manager of the Fisher Opera House in San Diego, California. Apparently Mansfield was smitten with her when they met professionally some years before. Mansfield reportedly waited to pursue her until she had an opportunity to garner some “fame”.

Published in: on February 16, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
Tags: , , , , , ,

PORTRAIT OF BEAUTIFUL METROPOLITAN OPERA PERFORMER: ISABELLE L’HUILLIER

lihevillier

The beautiful woman in this cabinet card portrait is opera singer Isabelle L’Huillier. She made her debut during the 1908/1909 season with the Metropolitan Opera Company as Musetta in “La Boheme”. She concluded the season with a role in “The Bartered Bride”. Miss L’Huillier is beautifully dressed in this photograph. She is wearing a fur and a pretty hat. The photographer of this cabinet card photograph is celebrity photographer Aime Dupont. To learn more about Mr Dupont and to view more of his images, click on the category “Photographer: Dupont”.  (SOLD)

Published in: on February 12, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Comments (2)  
Tags: , , , , ,

MAY KOHNLE: STAGE ACTRESS WITH THE WILBUR OPERA COMPANY

wilbur opera

This portrait features stage actress May Kohnle. She is wearing a loose fitting bulky dress and a look of impatience. The Washington Times (1904) mentions that Miss Kohnle was part of the cast of “The Show Girl” which was appearing at the Lafayette Opera House. The show was described as “a jolly bit of tomfoolery” and the cast included “30 singing and dancing girls”. May Kohnle was a performer with the Wilbur Opera Company. The company began operating in 1870 and was founded by A. C. Wilbur. Wilbur was considered a fantastic businessman because he provided comic opera at popular prices and managed to be very successful financially. This photograph was taken by Elmer Chickering, a celebrated photographer who operated in Boston, Massachusetts. To learn more about Mr. Chickering and to view other photographs by this photographer, click on the category “Photographer: Chickering, E.”.   SOLD

Published in: on February 6, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
Tags: , , ,

UNIDENTIFIED CAPED ACTRESS PHOTOGRAPHED BY OTTO SARONY IN NEW YORK CITY

mystry actress_0002

New York photographer, Otto Sarony, son of Napoleon Sarony, photographed this pretty caped lady wearing a short tight dress. She is exhibiting quite a seductive pose. Her body language makes this image relatively risque for Sarony’s era. In retrospect, perhaps it is more provocative than risque. Otto Sarony photographed many actresses and the subject of this photograph is, despite being unidentified, most likely a theatrical player. To view other images by Otto Sarony, click on the category “Photographer: Sarony (Otto)”.

Published in: on January 3, 2015 at 12:27 pm  Comments (1)  
Tags:

PRETTY STAGE ACTRESS NESTA NEILSON

nesta

This cabinet card portrait features pretty stage actress Nesta Neilson. Preliminary research yielded little information about Miss Neilson. She is cited a number of times as appearing in theatrical newspaper articles but access to these periodicals could not be gained. Perhaps a cabinet card visitor can fill the rest of us in concerning Miss Neilson’s personal and theatrical life. This cabinet card photo was produced by the Natori studio in New York City. Natori photographed a numberof theatrical stars of his era.

Published in: on December 28, 2014 at 12:31 pm  Comments (6)  
Tags: ,

PORTRAIT OF PRETTY THEATER ACTRESS MARGUERITE FISH IN NEW YORK CITY

Pretty theater actress Marguerite Fish is the subject of this portrait cabinet card by Naegeli whose studio was located in New York City. Miss Fish began her stage career with her mother. They performed as a song and dance team known as Jenny Benson and Baby Benson. Later, she became known as Marguerite Fish and was a comic opera and musical actress. She has a number of mentions in the New York Times for her stage performances. These citations include appearances in “Our Wedding Day” (1887) and “The Crystal Slipper” (1888). Albert Naegeli, the photographer of this image, was a well known New York City photographer during the cabinet card era. To learn more about him and to view more of his photographs, click on the category “Photographer: Naegeli”.

Published in: on December 22, 2014 at 6:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
Tags: , , , ,

PORTRAIT OF AN ACTRESS NAMED ROBEL IN AN UNUSUAL DRESS

ROBEL_0008

The pretty subject of this cabinet card was photographed by celebrity photographer Napoleon Sarony at his New York City Studio. She is dressed in an unusual fashion and is likely in costume. The woman is probably an actress. Penciled on the reverse of the photograph is the name “Robel”. Preliminary research proved to be unsuccessful in identifying an actress with that name.  (SOLD)

Published in: on December 12, 2014 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
Tags: ,

PRETTY ACTRESS NETTIE LYFORD GOES PRODUCE SHOPPING IN NEW YORK CITY (PORTRAIT BY BENJAMIN FALK)

lyford_0019

This cabinet card portrait features pretty theater actress Nettie Lyford doing her produce shopping at the Whole Foods grocery store in New York City. She was such a fan of the store that she appeared in their advertising for free. Actually, this photograph is a celebrity portrait that was probably taken by famed celebrity photographer Benjamin Falk. The image was likely produced at Falk’s studio in New York City. Miss Lyford is wearing a costume that she probably wore in a stage production. In fact, this very same image appears in Epoch (1892) as part of an article by Morris Bacheller entitled “Favorite Figures of the Stage”. The article reports that the young Miss Lyford “has established herself as one of the comic opera favorites of the Metropolis”. She had made her debut in Charles Hoyt’s farce comedy company in “Rag Baby”. While she was appearing in another Hoyt production, “Lunch Counter Girl” she was seen by Francis Wilson (1854-1935)  who hired her to appear in “Oolah” which was a comic opera appearing in New York City in 1887. This cabinet card image was taken during her tenure with Wilson’s opera company. To learn more about Francis Wilson and the play “Oolah”, search for the image of Marie Jansen which appears in the Cabinet Card Gallery. To view more celebrity photographs by Falk, click on the category “Photographer: Falk”.

 

Published in: on November 27, 2014 at 4:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
Tags: , , , , ,

CLARA MORRIS: PRETTY AND BUSTY STAGE ACTRESS AND WRITER

clara

This cabinet card portrait features American stage actress Clara Morris (1849-1925). This photograph reveals that she was pretty and busty and appears to have enjoyed wearing gaudy jewelry. Note her earrings and collar pin. Clara Morris was born in Toronto, Canada and her real name was Morrison. She grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. She traveled to New York in 1870 as a member of Daly’s company. She was a sensation in L’Article 47 (1872) and acted in many other plays.  After 1885, she focused mostly on literary work. Her works included “A Silent Singer” (1899), “The LIfe of a Star” (1906), and “Dressing Room Receptions” (1911). In her book “Life on the Stage: My Personal Experiences and Recollections” (1911) she describes her meeting with John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of President Abraham Lincoln. This cabinet card was photographed by George Rockwood (1882-191) whose studio was located in New York City. Rockwood was born in Troy, New York and graduated from college with a PhD, reportedly either from the University of Chicago, or Columbia University. At 21 years of age, he was a newspaper reporter for the Troy Daily Times and at age 23, he was managing editor of the Troy Daily Post. He began working as a photographer in St. Louis and in 1857 opened a studio with his brother Elihu in New York City. He has been credited with bringing CDV’s to America. His obituary in the Washington Post reports that Rockwood photographed  more than 350,000 people. To view more photographs by Rockwood, click on the category “Photographer: Rockwood”.  SOLD

 
Published in: on October 26, 2014 at 8:22 am  Comments (2)  
Tags: ,
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »