PORTRAIT OF A LOVELY WELL DRESSED COUPLE WITH A SENSE OF HUMOR (PORTLAND, OREGON)

This vintage real photo postcard features a lovely well dressed couple with a sense of humor. The gentleman in the photograph wrote a very funny message on the reverse of the card. The man, Joe, writes that the pair are being photographed on a mountain, twelve hundred feet above Portland, Oregon. He then demonstrated his flair for humor by suggesting to the postcard’s recipient,  “If you have any rats in your smoke house, just put this (photo) in there and I will insure you no more rats will bother”. This postcard was sent to a woman in Latham, Kansas, and was postmarked in Eads, Colorado. The card was written and mailed in 1908. Joe and his “lady friend” were photographed at 10 Minute Photos, by Cal Calvert. The studio was located in Council Crest (Portland, Oregon). Council Crest Park is a city park in southwest Portland. Council Crest is 1071 feet above sea leveland is one of the hightest points in in the Tualatin Mountains. The park offers a great view of Portland. The couple in this photo may have taken a street car to the park. The Portland Railway, Light and Power Company opened a street car route  (Council Crest Line) to the park in 1906. In 1907 the company opened an amusement park at the site. Research found information related to the photographer who took this photograph. Charles E. (Cal) Calvert operated his studio at Sixth & Ankeny from 1906 through 1930. In 1907, with the opening of Council Crest Amusement Park, he operated a studio and postcard stand on it’s grounds. He also ran a studio at the Washington Street entrance to Portland’s City Park in 1910. Cal was known for his use of rustic props and for his creativity. One of his sets involved subjects appearing as if they were flying an airplane over the city of Portland. A postcard employing this setting is part of a collection at the Portland Art Museum.  SOLD

Published in: on March 21, 2026 at 11:30 am  Leave a Comment  
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PORTRAIT OF AN ELDERLY COUPLE : LAPEER, MICHIGAN : VINTAGE PHOTOGRAPH

This photograph features a fashionable wonderful looking elderly couple photographed by David’s Studio in Lapeer, Michigan. The image presents a dignified and deeply human study of age, partnership, and character. The gentleman is seated on the left. He wears a dark suit with vest and tie, formal but modest, and has a full white beard and mustache, with thinning hair brushed back from a high forehead. His expression is calm and direct, conveying a sense of quiet authority and lived experience. The woman, seated beside him, wears a patterned high-neck blouse beneath a darker jacket, consistent with late Victorian / early Edwardian styles worn into the 1910s. Her hair is neatly parted at the center and pulled back tightly, and her expression is steady, reserved, and attentive. The pair sit closely together against a plain dark studio backdrop, emphasizing their faces and posture rather than surroundings. The photographer’s imprint at the lower right reads “Davies Studio, Lapeer, Mich.” Measurements are as follows: 6 x 8 inches (mount & photo), 5 1/2 x 3 7/8 inches (image itself). This photo is in fair condition due to the mount’s top right corner is missing (see scans). The corner loss does not affect the image. The photograph itself is sharp with strong tonal range and good contrast.

This vintage photograph is available for purchase at my store, The History Peddler, for $24.00 or best offer.

Interested collectors may view the listing here:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/336438735918

Published in: on February 2, 2026 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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SMILING COUPLE POSE IN A FAUX GARDEN: WHY IS THIS WOMAN HOLDING A WHIP? (RPPC)

This vintage real photo postcard (RPPC) features a smiling couple posing in a photographic studio’s faux garden.  Note the leaves affixed to the wall behind them. This couple seems very happy together but they apparently didn’t maintain their marital harmony because they ultimately got divorced. One hopes that the whip that the woman is holding had nothing to do with their marital discord. The woman’s name in this photograph is Grace McBurney. Her name is written on the reverse of the postcard, undoubtedly by one of her relatives. Research reveals that Grace R. McBurney (1893-1969) was born in Oregon and married at the age of 19 to William H. McBurney who worked as a “typewriter representative”, which I assume means he sold typewriters. The couple had at least five children: Virginia D.(born around 1914), Marguerite F. (1919-1999), Wilma (born around 1920), William (1923-1981), and Carl Morton (1928-2007). Perusal of US census data reveals that the couple were divorced sometime between 1930 and 1940. It appears that Grace lived her entire adult life in Portland, Oregon. She is buried in Lincoln Memorial Park in Portland. Preliminary research yielded little information about her husband. This photo postcard was produced by the Mazrograph Studio in Portland. Mazrograph was the process Calvert used to produce the photo postcards quickly. The studio’s stamp can be seen on the reverse of the postcard. The stamp also mentions that the photo production process took only ten minutes.The postcard paper was produced by Cyko sometime between 1906 and 1915. Charles E. (Cal) Calvert operated his studio at Sixth and Ankeny from 1906 through 1930. In 1907, with the opening of Council Crest Amusement Park, he operated a studio and postcard stand on it’s grounds. He also ran a studio at the Washington Street entrance to Portland’s City Park in 1910. Cal was known for his use of rustic props and for his creativity. One of his sets involved subjects appearing as if they were flying an airplane over the city of Portland. A postcard employing this setting is part of a collection at the Portland Art Museum. This RPPC was taken in a “10 Minute Photo Gallery”. The reverse of the card advertises “Cal Calvert, Postcard Man”.  As a side note, there was also a Calvert’s Studio across from Oregon City’s Southern Pacific Depot but it was run by Harry Calvert and his wife Alvilda. Harry was not related to Cal Calvert. Harry’s studio operated from 1915 through 1925. This vintage real photo postcard is in very good condition (see scans).

This cabinet card is available for purchase at my store, The History Peddler, for $22.00 or best offer.

Interested collectors may view the listing here:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/336044527284

Published in: on January 1, 2026 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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THREE ATTRACTIVE COUPLES IN INTIMATE POSE : SPORTY WOMEN HATS : (1918-1930)

This vintage real photo postcard features three attractive couples posing at an unidentified photography studio. The six men and women in this photograph are chock full of personality. Five of the six are flashing wonderful smiles. The women, in particular, appear to be having fun. All six subjects are fashionably dressed. The women are wearing sporty hats. This is an intimate portrait. The three couples seem to be very relaxed and appear to be good friends. This postcard has an AZO stamp box which indicates that the photo was taken sometime between 1918 and 1930.  SOLD

Published in: on October 31, 2025 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PORTRAIT OF A FRENCH INFANTRY OFFICER AND HIS PRETTY WIFE


This vintage real photo postcard features a lovely young couple. The husband is a French non-commissioned officer of the the 156th infantry regiment. The pin on his hat reveals his specific regiment. The soldiers pretty wife apparently likes ruffles. Her long sleeve dress is riddled with ruffles. I’m certainly no fashionista, but I think her dress is lovely as well as interesting. SOLD

Published in: on July 25, 2025 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PATRIOTIC COUPLE CELEBRATES THE FOURTH OF JULY

This vintage real photo postcard exudes a form of patriotism that is seldom seen today. The AZO stamp box indicates that this photo was taken sometime between 1918 and 1930. This was an era when it was relatively common for individuals to include flags when having their picture taken. We tend to see a resurgence of exhibiting American flags for short stints during the time of national threat or crisis (ie 9/11). When people chose to pose with flags during the 1910’s and 1920’s, it wasn’t to tout a particular cause. They were just expressing their love and fidelity toward their country. There is faint writing in pencil on the reverse of this postcard. The text states “With love from Mr. and Mrs. Chester McCrumb (?), To our sister Mrs. Jennie Hubbard”. This photo postcard has excellent clarity and is in good condition (See Scans and note bottom right of image).   SOLD

Published in: on July 4, 2025 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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OLDER COUPLE IN A STUDY IN PATERSON, NEW JERSEY

This cabinet card photograph captures an older couple posing in a study setting. This particular trompe loile is an unusual and a wonderful backdrop. Note the desk and fireplace. The portly man looks like he would have difficulty rising from his chair. He is wearing a pocket watch. Hopefully the vast unpaid research department of the cabinet card gallery (the visitors) can comment about the chain or cord hanging from the woman’s dress. What function does this unusual accessory serve? The photographer of this image is John M. Kemp in Paterson, New Jersey. His studio was at 256 Main Street. Kemp was a native of New York City and initially did his photographic work in California. He opened his Paterson studio in 1876. He held photographic patents for a photographic printing apparatus. He is listed by the Paterson Morning Call (1910) as one of the prominent citizens of Paterson, New Jersey to have died in 1910.  SOLD

Published in: on May 22, 2025 at 12:01 pm  Comments (3)  
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YUPPIE VICTORIAN COUPLE POSE FOR THEIR PORTRAIT IN ENGLAND

An attractive couple pose for their portrait in Falmouth, England. The couple are very well dressed and appear very comfortable in front of the camera. The photographer is W. M. Harrison. Harrison had studios in Falmouth, Helson, Truro and Redruth. William Marsden Harrison (1852-?) worked as a photographer in Scotland but worked in Falmouth beginning the early 1880’s. By 1900, Harrison had won over 30 medals for his photographs, many of them from international competitions (ie. France, Austria, Belgium, Holland). Judging by the back design, this cabinet card photograph is circa 1902.   SOLD

Published in: on May 3, 2025 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
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A YOUNG COUPLE AND THEIR HORSE AND BUGGY IN A RURAL SETTING

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The message on this vintage real photo postcard is as follows: “Edd & Susan, Here is a picture. looks like us but not good work at all. How are you? We are all well. My Dishes haven’t come yet… Bird”. I added the punctuation since “Bird” didn’t seem to have the time or interest. This photograph features a young man and woman sitting in their horse drawn buggy in front of a rural house and landscape. The previous owner of this image believed that that the couple are dressed in their wedding clothes. I certainly can not confirm that, but the pair are certainly dressed in their nicest clothing. “Bird”, perhaps short for “Birdie”, is not very pleased with this photograph. Personally, I believe the photographer did an excellent job in capturing this couple, their horse and buggy, and their homestead. The stamp box on the reverse of this RPPC indicates that it was produced on Cyko paper sometime between 1904 and the 1920’s.  SOLD

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Published in: on May 2, 2025 at 12:00 pm  Comments (2)  
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PORTRAIT OF AN OLDER COUPLE : FORMALLY ATTIRED : MARTIN, IOWA : VINTAGE PHOTO

This vintage photograph features a formally dressed older couple posing at the J. Paul Martin studio in Boone, Iowa. The gentleman has some sort of button on the lapel of his three piece suit. A pocket watch chain can be seen resting against his vest. He also has a wiry mustache and beard as well as a sparkle in his eyes. The woman in the photograph has embroidery on her dress as well as a lace collar. This is a classic couples pose used by photographers of the era that this photo was taken.  SOLD

Published in: on February 13, 2025 at 3:30 pm  Leave a Comment  
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