YOUNG EUROPEAN MAN WEARING A UNIFORM (CARTE DE VISITE)

wolfe

This Carte de Visite features a uniformed young man posing at the Cruf Studio which had galleries in Freiburg, Mannheim, and Basel. The first two cities are in Germany and Basel is located in Switzerlan. An inscription on the reverse of the photograph indicates that the subject is H. Wolff. Mr Wolff is wearing a uniform representing an unknown group. Perhaps he is a student or maybe he works for the railroad. His group affiliation remains unknown for the time being.  Looking at the reverse of the photograph also reveals that the Cruf Studio won a number of medals at photographic competitions. The latest medal listed was recieved in 1888 which means that this image dates back to 1888 or later.   (SOLD)

wolfe1

Published in: on October 26, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PORTRAIT OF AN AUSTRIAN MAN IN TYROLEAN GARB IN VIENNA, AUSTRIA (CDV WITH A THEATRICAL INSCRIPTION)

william tell

This beautiful carte de visite features a proud Austrian man wearing his nation’s traditional clothing. The young gentleman looks quite dapper in his Tyrolean garb. This CDV was produced by the Carl Dubell Studio which was located in Vienna, Austria. The photograph has an inscription on the reverse. The inscription is dated 1902 and according to the previous owner of this photograph, is taken from Friedrich von Schiller’s (1759-1805) drama, “William Tell”. The quote is translated as “But he, me thinks, is master of his craft. Who can at all times on his skill rely nor let his heart disturb or eye or hand.” To view other photographs by Carl Dubell, click on the category “Photographer: Dubell”.

 

william tell 1

Published in: on October 19, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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YOUNG MAN IN A STUDIO ROWBOAT IN CARTHAGE, MISSOURI (CARTE DE VISITE)

rowboat

A young man dressed in winter clothing gently rows his boat down a river. In actuality, the boat and the river were props inside the studio of E. E. Roessler in Carthage, Missouri. Carthage was the site of two battles during the American civil war and in a third incident,  most of the city was burned down. The photographer, Edward E. Roessler was born in 1850 and married Annie Befferin in 1896. He robbed the cradle as Annie, an accomplished pianist, was 21 years younger than her husband. The town of Carthage was the site of two battles during America’s civil war. During the war, in a seperate incident, it was nearly completely burned down. This carte de visite photograph was likely taken not too many years after the war. Roessler also worked as a photographer in Shelbyville, Illinois as well as San Bernadino, California. He died in 1935 in Alameda, California.

rowboat 1

Published in: on October 9, 2015 at 9:40 am  Leave a Comment  
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HAUNTED YOUNG WOMAN IN BARMEN, GERMANY (CARTE DE VISITE)

haunted

A young woman poses for her portrait at the Samson & Company Studio in Barmen, Germany. She is wearing a dark dress with a dark polka dot top. The woman looks quite serious. In fact, her expression, in particular her eyes, projects a haunted appearance. One wonders what might be troubling this young lady. Barmen is a former industrial city located in the Bergisches Land region. The city merged with four other towns in 1929 to form the city of Wuppertal. It is interesting to note that the cabinet card gallery has two other images by a gallery named Samson & Company. Both of these photographs are German but they are not located in Barmen. The other two photo studios were located in Duisburg and Karlsruhe respectively. You may view all three images by searching the category “Photographer: Samson & Company”. To complicate matters further, the book “The Lives of Erich Fromm: Love’s Prophet” reports that Fromm’s mother took him regularly to Samson & Company for portraits. The author notes that the studio was located in Frankfurt and catered to Jewish families. Erich Fromm grew up to be a celebrated pioneer psychologist.

Published in: on October 8, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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FRENCH MILITARY MAN FROM THE 18TH BATTALION DE CHASSEURS (CARTE DE VISITE)

colonel

This carte de visite portrait features a French foot soldier from the 18th batallion de chasseurs. Chasseur is the French word for hunter. The term was used by the French and Belgian Army to denote light infantry or light cavalry. These troops were trained and utilized for rapid action.  The soldier in this image is holding a pair of white gloves. His facial expression exudes everything military. The photograph was taken by the Gabriel Studio.

SOLD

colonel 1

Published in: on October 5, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PARENTS AND THEIR THREE SONS AND A HOOP TOY IN NEU-WEISSENSEE, GERMANY (CARTE DE VISITE)

hoop

This family portrait carte de visite includes a set of parents and their three young sons. Each member of this clan appears very serious as they pose for this image. The family is wearing their fine clothing for their photograph which was taken by Max Schmidt of Neu-Weissensee, Germany. Mom is holding a book, most likely a bible. Each boy is wearing a hat and holding a toy. One boy is holding a horn, the second child has a ball toy, and and the third boy is holding a trundling hoop. Hoop rolling or hoop trundling is a child’s game which has been documented as far back as Ancient Greece. In the game, the hoop is rolled along the ground, usually by an object held by the player. The player tries to keep the hoop upright for an extended period of time or performs tricks with the hoop.

Published in: on September 30, 2015 at 8:53 am  Comments (1)  
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A GENTLEMAN WITH A WONDERFUL BEARD AND A WONDERFUL EXPRESSION IN STUTTGART, GERMANY (CDV)

=stuttgart

The young man in this carte de visite portrait is displaying a fantastic expression He has a devilish glint in his eyes. This fun loving gentleman is well dressed and sports a terrific beard. The photographer of this cdv was Erwin Hanfstaengl (1838-1905) who operated a photography studio in Stuttgart, Germany. He was married to Marie Schroder Hanfstaengl (1848-1917) who was a noted German operatic soprano and singing teacher. Erwin was a member of the distinguished Stuttgart photography and art publishing family headed by Franz Hanfstaengl. There is an inscription on the reverse of the photo (see image below) which probably identifies the young man. Unfortunately, I am unable to translate the writing and am hopeful a Cabinet Card Gallery visitor will leave a comment that includes the translation.   (SOLD)

=stuttgart 1

Published in: on September 3, 2015 at 12:16 pm  Comments (2)  
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