A MAN AND THREE YOUNG WOMEN POSE FOR A CIVIL WAR ERA TINTYPE PORTRAIT

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A well dressed middle aged man poses for his civil war era tintype portrait. He is accompanied in the image by three young women. The women are wearing dark dresses and each is adorned with a hair band. The woman standing behind the man is wearing her hair in a disheveled (natural?) style. One wonders what this man’s relationship is to the three women. Perhaps they are his daughters. Maybe one of the women is his wife (the woman holding his elbow?). One thing is for certain. This is an affectionate group. The foursome are sitting very close and there is a lot of touching going on. This image is the first tintype to appear in the Cabinet Card Gallery. A tintype, also known as ferrotype, is a photograph made on a thin sheet of metal coated with a dark lacquer or enamel. They were very popular during the 1860’s and 1870’s.   SOLD

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Published in: on November 13, 2016 at 3:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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A PHOTOGENIC FAMILY POSES FOR THEIR PORTRAIT (1917 REAL PHOTO POSTCARD)

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This vintage real photo postcard captures a very photogenic family posing at a photographic studio in 1918. The photographer must have loved photographing this crew. The mother is quite pretty and she stares at the camera with icy but engaging eyes. The oldest of the siblings is wearing nautical clothing and is posed in a manner in which he seems to be protective of his family. By the way, where is dad? Mom is wearing a wedding band but father is missing from the photograph. The younger two children are adorable and definitely are sticking close to mom. This family could be doing commercials on television if there was such a thing in 1918. This scalloped edged postcard is unmailed.

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Published in: on September 23, 2016 at 8:17 pm  Comments (2)  

FAMILY OF FIVE AND A ROLLING HOOP IN STRASBOURG, FRANCE (CABINET CARD)

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A well dressed family of five pose for their portrait at Emile Lorson’s photographic studio in France. The business was located in the town of either Strasbourg or Schlettstadt (now known as Selestat). The father of this family is not pictured. Perhaps he is away or deceased. The family in the photograph includes a mother, three sons, and a daughter. The oldest boy is holding his mother’s arm while she is supporting her daughter’s position on the wall. The youngest boy is holding a toy rolling hoop. Note his high top shoes. An inscription on the reverse of the photograph states ” Uncle Michael’s 3 Boys”. I wonder why there is no mention of the little girl? Possibly, she did not survive to the point in time that the inscription was written. Once again, I ask, “Where is Uncle Michael”? The answers to my questions are lost to history.   SOLD

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Published in: on August 9, 2016 at 2:48 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PORTRAIT OF A YOUNG MOTHER AND HER THREE CHILDREN

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This cabinet card provides a portrait of a lovely young mother and her three small children. Some viewers may disagree and opine that the photograph an image of four siblings. The oldest child in this photograph is holding a hat by his side and his mother is holding a fan. Not the little girl’s hair band. The family in this image is unidentified and the location of the studio that produced the cabinet card is unknown. I would hypothesize that the studio was European. It appears that the photographer’s or the studio’s name was “Melanie” which is a name of French origin.

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Published in: on July 16, 2016 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  

A STYLISH AND ATTRACTIVE FAMILY POSE FOR THEIR PORTRAIT IN GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

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This cabinet card features a well dressed and attractive couple flanking their young daughter in a family portrait produced by the Photo Express gallery in Geneva, Switzerland. Dad seems to be a pro at posing for a photographer judging by the air of confidence that he exudes in this photograph. The gentleman’s daughter seems a bit apprehensive about her day at the photography studio. It is interesting to note the name of the studio that produced this image. “Photo Express” is a name we might expect to see in today’s time rather than around the time of the cabinet card era. We live in a time which has an “instant gratification” mentality. I suppose that the “Photo Express” name tells us that people have had an “on demand” type of impatience long before present times. This cabinet card joins a number of other Swiss images in the Cabinet Card Gallery. To view these photographs, click on the category “Switzerland”.

Published in: on February 12, 2016 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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A FATHER AND HIS FIVE CHILDREN IN WILKES BARRE, PENNSYLVANIA

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A nicely dressed family poses for their portrait at the Wildermuth Studio in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. It is immediately noticeable that this family photograph is missing someone. We see dad, but where is mom? It is interesting to note that the children in this family, all five of them, are nicely dressed. One would expect that a mother’s influence would have something to do with the children being so fashionable. In this case, we will never know who is doing the fashion consulting. It is a nice touch that the two youngest girls are wearing identical dresses. We see a few smiles as well as a some affection in this photograph. The oldest daughter has her hand placed on her fathers arm. It certainly appears to be a happy family. The photographer of this image is Martin S. Wildermuth and his career spanned from the late nineteenth century through the early twentieth century. After a time of being a sole proprietor, he joined forces with photographer Joseph Stearns. Post retirement he did some work with the Ace Hoffman company. Wilsons Photographic Magazine (1910) credits Wildermuth & Stearns for published photographs in the journal. He is also cited in the book “Coal Men of America: A Biographical and Historical Review ……..” (1918).  He was one of the photographers that contributed images for the book.  (SOLD)

 

Published in: on January 25, 2016 at 12:58 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PORTRAIT OF A FAMILY AND THEIR AUTOMOBILE (VINTAGE PHOTOGRAPH)

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“I’m going up the country, babe, don’t you wanna go? I’m going to some place where I’ve never been before. I’m gonna leave this city, got to get away. All this fussing and fighting, man, you know I sure can’t stay”. These words are part of the lyrics of  “I’m Going Up the Country” by Canned Heat.  I think the song would be good accompaniment to this vintage photograph. This image shows what appears to be a family on a road trip. They are dressed for a nice drive. One of the women in the photograph is holding a bouquet of flowers which may indicate that she had just wedded. The most likely groom is the man standing in the forefront of the image. I have been told that the car in the photo is an early Ford (unconfirmed). This vintage photo is interesting because it tells an incomplete story that the viewer can use his or her imagination to complete. This photo measures about 5 1/2″ x 3 1/4″ and has no identifying information written on the reverse.

Published in: on January 6, 2016 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
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FOUR SIBLINGS IN NEED OF PSYCHOTHERAPY AND ANTI-DEPRESSANTS IN MOORHEAD, MINNESOTA

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This cabinet card portrait features what I imagine are four siblings. Although they look quite depressed, I believe their flat affect is more of a function of following the photographers instructions rather than the result of major trauma. The young man and three young women compose an attractive and well dressed family. The photographer, O. E. Flaten has a number of photographs in the Cabinet Card Gallery, although this particular image is the first from his Moorhead, Minnesota studio. To learn more about Mr. Flaten and to view more of his images, click on the category “Photographer: Flaten”.

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Published in: on December 27, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
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MOTHER AND SON POSE FOR THEIR PORTRAIT IN PORTO, PORTUGAL (MOM IN TRADITIONAL CLOTHING)- VINTAGE PHOTO

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A mother and her son pose for their portrait at Belleza studio in Porto, Portugal. Porto is a coastal city in northwest Portugal. Mom is wearing beautiful  traditional folk clothing. She has dressed her darling little boy in fine clothing for his picture taking day. Note his incredibly large hat that he is holding in his right hand. It seems to me that if he were to wear the hat it would cover his whole head and he would be unable to see. At first, I thought the hat might belong to his mother; but she is already wearing a hat. Perhaps the boy is an aspiring magician and a family of rabbits reside inside the hat. There is an inscription on the reverse of the photograph. I believe it is written in Portuguese. The previous owner of this photograph asserted that the inscription was some sort of dedication to an uncle. Hopefully, a cabinet card gallery visitor can translate the inscription for the rest of us. The inscription was written in 1922. The photograph measures 8″ x 5 3/4″.

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Published in: on December 23, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Comments (2)  
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DARLING SISTERS IN MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN

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This vintage photograph features two well dressed young girls posing for their portrait at the Star studio in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is a good bet, that the children are sisters. They certainly share a family resemblance. The older girl seems confident and is displaying a half smile. The younger girl does not seem too pleased to find herself the subject of the photographer’s lens and is holding big sister’s hand for support. Both girls are wearing bows in their hair as well as necklaces. According to the Wisconsin Photographers Index the Star Photo Company operated in Milwaukee between 1898 and 1918. William Cobourn and Joseph L Mutzbauer were two photographers associated with the studio. To view other photographs by Mutzbauer and to learn more about him, click on the category “Photographer: Mutzbauer”.

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Published in: on December 5, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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