CUTE LITTLE GIRL WITH A PAIL AND SHOVEL IN BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

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This cabinet card portrait features a little girl with an engaging smile. She is holding a wooden pail and is standing next to a shovel. She posed in front of the studio’s proverbial wall which the photographer embellished with leafy vines. The photographer of this image is Carl Joseph Horner (1864-1926). He operated a studio in Boston, Massachusetts. I have seen him advertise himself on other images as a “European Photographer”. On the reverse of this cabinet card he describes himself more precisely geographically as being “from Stockholm, Sweden”. It appears that, at least in Boston, European photographers held more status than American photographers. Interestingly, Horner developed a great reputation as a sports photographer. Some of his baseball photographs are very well known. To view more of his images, and to learn more about this photographer, click on the category “Photographer: Horner”.

SOLD

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Published in: on January 17, 2017 at 12:00 pm  Comments (2)  
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PORTRAIT OF TWO YOUNG SISTERS HOLDING HANDS

 

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This wonderful vintage real photo postcard features a portrait of two pretty young girls. They are dressed beautifully and are wearing identical skirts and scarves. It seems likely that they are sisters. The girls are holding hands. They are wearing gloves and one of the girls is holding a purse. They are both flashing half smiles. They are standing in front of a studio’s backdrop of a forest. The studio and the children are unidentified.

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Published in: on January 16, 2017 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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LOVELY PHOTOGRAPH OF TWO YOUNG GIRLS TAKEN BY THEIR PHOTOGRAPHER FATHER IN COLUMBUS, OHIO

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The photographer of this wonderful image is Alfonzo Mayer (1863-1963). He must have been very motivated to do a great job photographing these two children. His incentive was quite strong because the lovely children in this image were his daughters. The girls names are inscribed on the reverse of the photograph. Carrie was born in 1889. That’s her sitting in the chair with the blanket draped over her shoulders. She is wearing a bonnet, a precursor to modern day hoodies. Florence was born in 1893. She is standing next to Carrie and is wearing suspenders, a bow tie, and a cap. She is holding a leather bag, reminiscent of latter day’s doctor bags. The children are adorable. Both grew up to work in their father’s photography studio as operators. Carrie became a photographer, following in her father’s footsteps. The 1910 US census informs us that Alfonzo Mayer was born in Germany and immigrated to the US at two years of age. He married Otillie Mayer in about 1885. The couple had four children, but only three survived to the time of the census.   (SOLD)

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Published in: on December 30, 2016 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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THE PRETTIEST AND MOST INTENSE GIRL IN GOSHEN, INDIANA

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This cabinet card bust portrait features a pretty young girl who looks quite intense. I believe that she appears much older than her actual age. I would hypothesize that she is no older than in her young teens. She is wearing a lace collar and earrings. She has relatively short curly hair. This photograph was taken at the Hower studio in Goshen, Indiana.

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Published in: on December 28, 2016 at 12:00 pm  Comments (2)  
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THREE SIBLINGS AND A THREE WHEEL SCOOTER IN VALENCIA, SPAIN

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This vintage photograph is difficult to categorize. It looks like a cabinet card image and is mounted on stiff board cabinet card paper. However, the reverse of the image has divided postcard printing including a stamp box.  The three children, in this photograph are adorable despite their serious expressions. It is extremely likely that they are siblings. Note how the oldest child has a good grip on her little brother’s shoulders in a show of physical support and affection. The children are wearing nice but not fancy clothing. The little boy is standing on a three wheel scooter. Both girls are wearing necklaces with a charm as well as hair bows. The photograph was taken at the Julio D. Derrey studio. Printed advertising on the verso indicates that the studio was located in Valencia, Spain’s third to largest city.

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Published in: on December 27, 2016 at 12:00 pm  Comments (2)  
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AN ADORABLE CHILD ON THE TRACKS: ELLA JOHNSON RIDES THE BOSTON RAILROAD

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An adorable little girl poses for her portrait as she rides the tracks of the Boston Railroad. The advertising below the image on the front of the card indicates that the photography car on the train is car number four. The expression on the child’s face is priceless. She is very photogenic and engaging. Her eyes are amazing. She is well dressed but not wearing anything too fancy. Note her high top shoes. The reverse of this cabinet card photograph has an inscription stating the child’s name as “Ella Johnson”. Below the name is the word “Blackfoot”. It is my hypotheses that Ella Johnson at some point in her life, lived in Blackfoot, Idaho, or Montana. The name “Ella Johnson” is much too common for me to do a successful genealogical search to learn more about this charming girl’s life. To view another cabinet card photograph taken in a Boston Railroad photographer’s car, click on the category “Railroad Photo Car”.   (SOLD)

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Published in: on December 21, 2016 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
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FIVE LOVELY SISTERS IN HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA

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This cabinet card features five adorable girls who are very likely sisters. The children are all nicely dressed and hatted. The kids are sitting around a basket of flowers. The girls were photographed by “The Elite” Photographic Art Studio in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The proprietors of the studio were Kelly & Company. Research reveals that the Kelly studio was sold to George A. Gauvin but the year of that transaction was not identified.

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Published in: on December 16, 2016 at 4:53 pm  Comments (1)  
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ERUDITE CHILD LECTURES ST. BERNARD ON STEROIDS

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This vintage real photo postcard features a little boy (or is it a girl) and his (her) dog. The dog is a giant. I think someone’s been putting steroids in the dog’s food. The dog appears to be at least partially a St. Bernard. The child is smartly dressed and has an air of privilege. The child looks as if he is lecturing the dog. The child’s index finger is pointed as if he is making a major point. This postcard is dated 1906. The postcard was published by Germany’s Neue Photographische Gesellschaft (NPG) (New Photographical Society). The company was in business between 1894 and 1948 and was one of the most well known and largest companies involved in the production of postcards.

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Published in: on December 14, 2016 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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A YOUNG BOY WEARING A STRAW HAT

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This CDV (Carte de Visite) features a well dressed young boy wearing a straw hat. The photographer is unknown as only his initials appear on the reverse of the photograph. Also on the reverse of the photograph is an inscription. I believe that the inscription is written in German.

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Published in: on December 12, 2016 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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TWO ADORABLE CHILDREN IN TRADITIONAL GERMAN COSTUMES IN HAMBURG

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This wonderful Carte de Visite features two adorable children wearing traditional clothing posing for their portrait at the Banque & Kindermann studio in Hamburg, Germany. The boys outfit has an abundance of buttons and he is wearing a top hat. The little girl is holding a basket of pretty flowers and is wearing a hat that resembles a “frying pan”. On each side of the children are potted plants. The image is actually a lovely photograph. The reverse of the photograph has print that advertises the fact that the studio won medals at an 1887 exhibition in Stuttgart, Germany. This photograph was likely taken shortly after that contest. “The Photographic Times” (1897) tells the story of photographer Conrad Kindermann. He was born in Lubeck, Germany in 1842. He apprenticed in a cloth house in Riza, Russia for five years and worked there another year. He then was introduced to working as a photographer by his brother who had a studio in Hamburg. In 1863 he opened a studio in Lubeck. The ceilings in this studio were so low that they prohibited photographing adults when they were standing. The resourceful Kindermann decided to specialize in photographing children. It is very interesting to note that the word “kinder” means “children”. He was truly a Kindermann. In 1869 he met photographer Herr Benque. They becamse fast friends and were soon partners in a studio in Hamburg. The studio encountered financial problems so Benque left and soon the studio became very successful and Kindermann became known as one of the best photographers of children in the country. A review of the era’s photography journals demonstrate that he was often cited or the subject of articles. Another fascinating fact is that Darwin used three of Kindermann’s photographs in his book “The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals” (1872).

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Published in: on November 28, 2016 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
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