A family therapist might find it interesting to analyze this portrait of three women and a man sitting on the front porch of a house in Lake Placid, New York. The therapist might note that three of the subjects are looking off in one direction while the young woman (sitting the closest to the bottom) is staring in the opposite direction. What is going on with this young lady? Not only is she oppositional but she is displaying horrible posture (slouching), and a “bored out of her mind” expression. The gentleman in this image is also exhibiting an interesting expression. He looks like the cat that ate the canary as he flashes a mischievous grin. He is holding a book/magazine. Perhaps the reading material is humorous. The four individuals in this photograph seem totally disconnected from each other. If the four subjects comprise a family, than they seem to be lacking warmth and a sense of being a cohesive unit. This photograph has an inscription on the reverse side. The inscription states “The Westside, Lake Placid, 1887”. The name of the photographer can be found embossed on the lower left hand corner of the image. His name is listed as “H. T. Hull, Amateur”. The word amateur appears so that viewers of the image would know that the photograph was not taken by a professional photographer. When photography became available to non professionals, there would be competitions held for amateurs so they could have places to exhibit their best photographs. This photograph measures 8 1/4″ x 6 1/4″.
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 