LOVELY COUPLE IN CINCINNATI, OHIO (PHOTOGRAPHED BY EARLY FEMALE PHOTOGRAPHER)

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A nicely dressed couple pose for their portrait at the studio of Mrs. Charles Waldack (Mary Tanner) in Cincinnati, Ohio. The gentleman’s pocket watch chain can be seen under his jacket and the woman is wearing a collar pin and necklace. The woman is displaying affection by resting her hand on the man’s shoulder. The photographer, Mary Waldack was born about 1849 in Harford County, Kentucky. Although Mary was quite talented, her husband garnered the most attention. Charles Waldack was born in 1828 in Ghent, Belgium. In 1866 he became well known for using magnesium and gunpowder to make the first underground photographs in America. He took these photographs at Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. The pictures were published as stereo cards by E. and H.T Anthony of New York. Charles pursued his photographic career in Cincinnati from 1854 until 1881. In addition, he contributed many articles to photographic literature. In 1881 he took a trip to his native Belgium. He left his wife in charge of his studio. He died a brief time later and Mrs. Waldack managed the business until at least 1893. Mary Waldack is a member of a small group of pioneering women photographers. To view other images by early female photographers click on the category “Female Photographers”.  SOLD

Published in: on October 13, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Comments (2)  
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A YOUNG COUPLE WITH HATS IN HAND

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A young couple poses for their portrait at an unknown studio and locale. The pair are well dressed and holding their hats. The woman is wearing a ring and earrings. Their style of clothing provides a clue that they are likely being photographed somewhere in the western area of the United States sometime in the 1880’s or 1890’s. A pencilled inscription on the bottom front of the cabinet card names the couple as “Cyrus Bechtel and wife”.

Published in: on September 28, 2015 at 7:25 pm  Comments (1)  
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PORTRAIT OF A LOVELY COUPLE IN HOMESTEAD, PENNSYLVANIA

HOMESTEAD

This cabinet card portrait features a lovely couple photographed by the McLane studio in Homestead, Pennsylvania. The couple are attractively dressed and well groomed. The woman has a lovely figure that is assisted by a corset. She is standing next to a bouquet of flowers. The gentleman has a nice mustache which curls at it’s ends. Note his shined shoes. Perhaps this is the couple’s wedding portrait. The photographer, John G. McLane (1849-?) apparently moved around a lot. He can be found in directories working as a photographer in Bradford (at least 1885-1887), Titusville (at least 1893-1895) and Pittsburg (at least 1900-1902). All of these cities are in Pennsylvania. One of McLane’s photographs can be found in the book, “Victorian Fashion in America (2013). McLane was a civil war veteran. He fought for three years as a member of the 142nd Pennsylvania Infantry. He entered the unit as a drummer. The last years of his life were spent at a home for disabled veterans. He is buried in Grove Hill Cemetery (Oil City, Pennsylvania).

Published in: on September 21, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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CLARA AND ED OWENS HAVE A RELATIONSHIP IN SNOHOMISH, WASHINGTON

sister and brother

This cabinet card feature a brother and sister, or possibly a husband and wife,  posing for their photograph at the Wallace Barnes Photo Company in Snohomish, Washington. They appear to be in their late teenage years. The two are well dressed and the brother/husband is holding a book or magazine on his lap. The sister/wife is wearing a collar pin and a hair ornament. The reverse of the photograph has an inscription identifying the siblings as Clara and Ed Owens. Preliminary research found no information concerning the Wallace Barnes Photo Company. A Wallace Barnes studio was unearthed, but it was located in Mobile, Alabama. The town of Snohomish was founded around 1858. It was originally known as Cadyville, and changed its name to Snohomish City in 1871. The name Snohomish comes from the name of the dominant local Native American tribe.

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Published in: on September 8, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
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IMMIGRANT COUPLE AND A PUBLIC DISPLAY OF AFFECTION

vancouver couple

This vintage photograph features an immigrant couple posing for their portrait at an unknown photography studio in an unknown location. How do I know that this lovely couple are immigrants? I actually don’t know if they are really immigrants. They have an ethnic appearance and are dressed in a fashion that a casting director might hire them to portray a couple “right off the boat”. What is their ethnicity? I would guess they are European but have little confidence in that hypotheses. The couple are well dressed in a “sunday best” sense. The woman has a cute hat, white gloves, and a purse. The couple are posed next to a vase of flowers sitting on a table. Interestingly, the woman has her arm linked around her husband’s arm. She is clearly not afraid of public displays of affection. This photograph was found in a Vancouver antique store but experience tells me that there is a large possibility that the image did not originate in Vancouver.

Published in: on August 18, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  

PORTRAIT OF A LOVELY COUPLE OUT FOR A STROLL IN LONDON, ENGLAND

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This photograph features a lovely couple out for a stroll on a faux patio at the Hellis & Sons studio in London, England. The couple are beautifully dressed. The man looks quite dapper in his three piece suit and derby hat. He is accessorized by a flower in his lapel and a handkerchief in his jacket’s breast pocket. The woman is wearing a fancy hat and corsage. She is carrying a parasol to protect herself from the sun. Advertising on the reverse of the photograph (see scan below) indicates that this cabinet card was produced in one of the studio’s seven branches and the studio had been in existence for over forty years. Robert Hellis (1835-1895) operated the most studio branches of all photographers in nineteenth century London. Hellis was also known for his skillful work hosting magic seances for evening parties in London. Advertising on the reverse of the cabinet card indicates that Hellis was the official photographer for the Akbaloddowla, ex King of Oude. One researcher on the internet wrote about the king and his kingdom. He notes that Oude was a small kingdom located about three miles from Calcutta. The King had two wives and another 159 women for recreation and procreation. It is reported that in 1874 the King had 56 children. My preliminary research confirms the existence of the state of Oude. Research also confirms that there was an individual named Akbaloddowla who credited himself as being an ex king but I can not confirm the veracity of that claim. SOLD

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Published in: on July 16, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
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PORTRAIT OF A FASHIONABLE WOMAN AND HER HUSBAND IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

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A lovely couple pose for their portrait at the Johnson & Company studio in Chicago, Illinois. The most notable feature of this image is the fashionability of the young woman. Her dress is attractive and relatively unusual relative to dresses seen in most cabinet card images. She is also very well accessorized. Note her jewelry which includes a ring, necklace, and earrings. She is also wearing fingerless gloves. She is a Chicagoan and must have taken advantage of the good shopping there. She also appears to have had good clothes sense. Her husband is dressed formally but clearly not trying to draw attention to himself via his clothing. The photographer, Johnson & Company was operating in Chicago at least between 1886 and 1895. The proprietor was J. Scott Johnson who was born in Ohio in 1860 and moved to Chicago in 1882. Johnson placed an ad in “The Photographic Times (1908)” which listed his studio for sale due to his desire to retire. The ad noted that the studio was in the heart of Chicago’s business district and was “a gold mine for a hustler”. In listing the price of the studio, Johnson wrote that he would sell it as a “sacrifice at $1500.00”.  (SOLD)

Published in: on July 8, 2015 at 8:31 pm  Comments (2)  
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YOUNG WEDDING COUPLE IN LAWRENCE, MASSACHUSETTS (CAN THIS MARRIAGE BE SAVED?)

young couple

A well dressed young wedding couple pose for their portrait in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Both subjects are wearing corsages and the young man is holding what appears to be a program or certificate. The photograph shows no affection or emotional connection between the groom and the bride. A fitting wedding present may have been a gift certificate for marital therapy. The photographer of this image is S. R. Page. Mr. Page appears in the US census of 1900 and the data indicates that he was born in Canada in 1865. He immigrated to the United States in 1894 and was married to a woman named Felinne. The census also indicates that he worked as a photographer. The 1897 Lawrence City Directory reports that Page worked as a photographer at the same address as seen on this cabinet card.   (SOLD)

Published in: on June 23, 2015 at 4:39 pm  Comments (3)  
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PORTRAIT OF A WEDDING COUPLE IN LYONS, KANSAS

wedding couple

This vintage photograph features a couple posing for their portrait at the studio of E. W. Glazer in Lyons, Kansas. The bride is wearing a pretty two tone gown and holding a bouquet of flowers. The groom is sitting in a wicker chair and wearing a dark suit with a corsage. The reverse of the photograph has the inscription “Otto P.”.  One can assume that this name belonged to the groom seen in the photograph. The photographer, Elijah W. Glaze was born in 1864 in New York. “Wilson’s Photographic Magazine (1898)” reported on Glaze winning an award for his work at the Kansas Photographers Convention. The “Bulletin of Photography (1913) announced that the Glaze Photography studio had ben taken over by W. D. Jones.   SOLD

Published in: on June 11, 2015 at 10:44 am  Comments (3)  
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NICELY BUT BLANDLY DRESSED COUPLE IN READING PENNSYLVANIA

strunkA nicely but blandly dressed couple pose for their portrait at the Strunk studio in Reading, Pennsylvania. The couple do an excellent job of hiding their emotions as they pose for this portrait. John D. Strunk was a talented and prolific photographer. The Cabinet Card Gallery has a large collection of his photographs. To view these images and to learn more about him, click on the category “Photographer: John D. Strunk”.

 

Published in: on May 21, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Comments (2)  
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