PORTRAIT OF ACTRESS BLANCH WARD IN NEW YORK CITY (RISQUE)

This cabinet card features a costumed young woman named Blanch Ward. This photograph shows “a lot of leg” and is rather risque for its era. Blanch Ward is likely either an actress, dancer, or singer, or some combination of the three. Research revealed no information about Miss Ward and it is likely she was not a major theatrical performer. The photographer of this image is Alfred S. Campbell of New York City. He is known for being a photographer who had a specialty in photographing theater stars. To view other photographs by Campbell and to learn more about his life, click on the category “Photographer: Campbell”.

Published in: on December 7, 2012 at 12:01 am  Leave a Comment  
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PORTRAIT OF PRETTY YOUNG WOMAN IN MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT (POSSIBLY AN ACTRESS)

The pretty woman in this cabinet card photograph has the appearance of an actress. She has struck a provocative pose in this photograph and is very photogenic. She looks like she rolled out of bed and forgot to get dressed before coming to the A. Pritchard Photographic Art Studio to have her portrait taken.  She also looks like she is wearing her bed clothes, but that is not likely the case. Perhaps she is wearing a costume from a stage production she was appearing in. The reverse of the photograph has the name “Lillian” written on it. Trying to use the first name to assist in identifying this young lady was fruitless. I can’t resist the following insight. The Cabinet Card Gallery has few  images that have been significantly damaged over time. A previous owner of this image cut corners to fit this photograph into a frame. I am beginning to accept what many other collectors already believe,  that damaged photographs have a place in cabinet card collections.The images of damaged cards, even significantly damaged cards, can be quite beautiful as well as interesting. They are as much a window of  history as the most pristine cards. I wonder if the visitors to this gallery agree with me about the value of many damaged cards? Enough of my editorializing! Its time to return to the cabinet card seen above. The photographer of this image, A..Pritchard, operated his studio in Meriden, Connecticut. The Meriden Morning Record  (1921) has an article announcing that Alfred Pritchard had opened a new studio in Meriden. The article states that he had been in Meriden for 15 years but had left the area in 1901. He had moved to New York City where he was “connected with Colonel Marceau” in operating a Fifth Avenue photography business. Later he was “connected” with Roger Sherman’s studio in New Haven, Connecticut. This cabinet card image was produced during Pritchard’s first stint in Meriden.

Published in: on November 7, 2012 at 12:01 am  Leave a Comment  
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UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS / SINGER POSES IN ENGLAND

A young unidentified woman poses for her portrait at Nye & Company in England. Judging by her clothing, stage presence, and stance, she is likely an actress or dancer. Researching the address of the studio resulted in a great deal of evidence that the studio was located in London. However, the name of the street is consistently listed as “Walworth Road”, not “Watworth Road”. It appears that this address was the studio of R. R. Wilson in the 1880’s, Nye in the 1890’s and H. Bown after the turn of the century. These dates are just guesstimates based on examining other cabinet cards that were produced over the years from the studio that existed at the Walworth address.

Published in: on November 6, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (1)  
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PORTRAIT OF STAGE ACTRESS MARY BEEBE (PHOTOGRAPH BY NAPOLEON SARONY)

This cabinet card, by celebrity photographer Napoleon Sarony, features actress Mary Beebe. She was a lesser known stage performer but did receive notice in the theater sections of major newspapers. Music and Drama (1882) reported that she had cancelled her performance with the Boston Ideal Opera Company because she had a sore throat. Life (1885) reviewed her performance in Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Patience”. The article described her performance as “good, but not up to standard”. To view other photographs by Sarony, click on the Cabinet Card Gallery category “Photographer: Sarony”.

Published in: on November 4, 2012 at 12:01 am  Leave a Comment  
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A YOUNG MAN AND THREE YOUNG WOMAN IN FANCY COSTUMES (STUTTGART, GERMANY)

A young man and three young woman dressed in ethnic clothing, or theatrical costumes, pose at the H. Brandseph studio in Stuttgart, Germany. The foursome are attractive, and they appear to be teenagers. Perhaps they are stage performers. Printing on the reverse of the cabinet card reveals that Hermann Brandseph’s Stuttgart studio was located at “Marienstrasse 36”. A telephone number is listed for the studio which demonstrates that this photograph was produced toward the end of the cabinet card era. Hermann was the son of well known German photographer Georg Friedrich Brandseph (1826-1915). Georg was a lithographer, silhouetter, and painter who learned about the daguerreotype process from the celebrated photographer Karl Reutlinger who lived in Stuttgart (to view a number of Reutlinger’s photographs, click on cabinet card gallery category “Photographer: Reutlinger”).  Georg opened his own studio there in 1853. In the 1870’s the Brandseph studio was extremely successful. In fact, by 1870, the studio had 40 employees. Georg turned the studio over to his son Hermann (1857-1907) in 1884.

Published in: on November 3, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (2)  
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MAGGIE ARLINGTON: STAGE ACTRESS KILLED BY DUMB-WAITER

This cabinet card, features an actress with a tragic story. The New York Times (1887) reported a story about Maggie Arlington’s funeral. Arlington was a stage actress. Her funeral was held at her home at 106 East 54th Street in New York City. The article states that her home was full of flower arrangements including a large arrangement from her fiance, Eddie Godschalk. Miss Arlington died from pneumonia which was reported to be secondary from a fall. The fall occurred when she was leaning over a dumb-waiter shaft in her home and slipped and fell sixty five feet. She broke both of her legs as well as one of her arms. She also sustained major bruises. She developed pneumonia shortly thereafter. Arlington was born in 1853 in Lawrence, Massachusetts and was originally named Margaret Ryerson. She began professional acting in St. Louis in 1872. She married the nephew of a United States Navy admiral. Her husband objected to her continuing her acting career so she divorced him. She had one son who was ten years old at the time of her death. Maggie Arlington does not seem to have been a major theatrical star as research yielded little about her stage career. However, her profession and the unusual tragic cause of her death, earned her an obituary story in the New York Times. This cabinet card was photographed by celebrity photographer Napoleon Sarony. To view other photographs by Sarony, click on the category “Photographer: Sarony”.

Published in: on October 25, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (2)  
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HELENE HASTREITER: FAMED OPERA SINGER

This cabinet card portrait features famed opera singer Helene Hastreiter (1858-1922). She is holding a stringed instrument that I can not identify with certainty but I believe it is a lyre. Hastreiter was born in Louisville, Kentucky. She made her opera debut in Milan, Italy. She was a mezzo soprano. The photographer of this image is Reichmann & Company. To view other photographs by this studio, click on the category “Photographer: Reichmann”.

Published in: on October 15, 2012 at 12:01 am  Leave a Comment  
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CARLOTTA BRIANZA: CELEBRATED ITALIAN BALLERINA (PORTRAIT BY FALK)

This cabinet card portrait features pretty celebrated Italian ballerina, Carlotta Brianza (1867-c.1933). Note that the jewelry that is hanging from her necklace is shaped like a horse. It is also worth mention that this photograph is somewhat risque for the era. Brianza was born in Milan, Italy and was the prima ballerina at La Scala before going to Russia. She created a sensation in Luigi Manzotti’s ballet “Excelsior” as the Spirit of Light. She went to Russia in 1887 after completing a US tour. She was acclaimed for her work in “Sleeping Beauty” and “Esmerelda”. She returned to the west in 1891 when she became the prima ballerina for the Vienna Opera. She died in Paris under suspicious circumstances that suggest she committed suicide. This portrait was produced by celebrity photographer Benjamin J. Falk of New York City. To view other photographs by Falk, click on the category “Photographer: Falk”.

Published in: on October 3, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (1)  
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NELLIE HOWE: PRETTY ACTRESS IN RISQUE COSTUME

This cabinet card features pretty actress Nellie Howe in a risque stage costume. The photographer and the location of the studio that produced this image is unknown. Research revealed no  information about Miss Howe. This photograph is likely an early cabinet card, dating back to the 1870’s or 1880’s.

Published in: on September 23, 2012 at 12:01 am  Leave a Comment  
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MINNIE HAUK: AMERICAN OPERA STAR

This cabinet card features Amalia Mignon Hauck (1851-1929). She was best known as Minnie Hauk and she was a celebrated American opera soprano. Minnie Hauk was born in New York City and as a child also lived in Rhode Island and Kansas. She studied voice with Achille Errani and had her debut in Brooklyn at age 14. Her New York City debut occurred when she was fifteen years of age. She sang Juliette in the American premiere of “Romeo et Juliette” in 1867. She performed in London in 1868 and in Paris the following year. She was the first American “Carmen” (1878). Unfortunately her fame and success did not last throughout her life. By 1918 she was in poverty and nearly blind. To see other photographs by Alfred S. Campbell and to learn more about him, click on the category “Photographer: Campbell”.

Published in: on September 14, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (1)  
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