I must admit that the woman in this cabinet card photograph may not be troubled, but she sure looks troubled. She also looks well dressed in her high collar suit, leather gloves, and monstrosity of a hat covered with feathers and ribbons. The photographer, Henry Opie opened his studio in Redruth, England in 1889. He expanded his business and eventually had studios in Truro, Falmouth, and Helston. The reverse of the image has an identifying inscription stating “Grandma Robertson”.
This cabinet card features three adorable young siblings posing at the West End Studio in Worcester, England. The boys are wearing sailor suits. Their little sister sits between them with her hands clasped and a with a bewildered expression. Walter J. Brown’s studio was located at 9 Bridge Street in Worcester.
Judging by appearance, the two girls in this cabinet card portrait are sisters. The older child is wearing a necklace and both children are wearing bows in their hair. The girls are dressed fashionably. The photographer is Charles E. Long who operated in London, England. He has posed the siblings in a typical studio pose. This image is one of countless cabinet card photos with images of fur covered chairs and tables topped with books.
A man with distinctive muttonchops poses for his portrait at the C. J. Farlie studio in Woolwich. Charles James Farlie (1839-1901) was located at 74 Wellington. The town of Woolwich is part of greater London. Farlie worked as a photographer in the town between the 1860’s and 1880’s. He was married twice. One of his wives was Selina Louisa Farlie who died in 1873 at the age of 32. The subject of this photograph is formally dressed and is wearing the usual pocket watch with the chain exposed under his coat. The gentleman’s interesting facial hair gains him entry into the Cabinet Card Gallery’s category of “Mustaches (Only the Best). Peruse the intriguing facial hair by clicking the category.
This cabinet card photograph features a curly haired little girl holding flowers and standing on a chair next to her large doll. She is wearing a lace dress and a humorous wide eyed expression. She looks like she is having fun at her portrait session. There is an object on the arm of the chair. It is likely the child’s hat which was removed for the photograph. The sweet girl in this image was photographed by Ward’s studio in Reading, England. Reading is a town located in the county of Berkshire.
George Hadley of the Castle Studio produced this portrait of a woman in deep concentration. She is studying what appears to be a small framed photograph. One of her hands rests on a table. The table top holds an inkwell. Printing on the reverse of the cabinet card indicates that the studio had won prizes at exhibitions at Cornwall (1884), London (1884), and Northampton (1884). The studio was located in Lincoln. Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.
An adorable and sweet looking little girl poses with her beautiful doll in this portrait by W. H. Broad of the Townwall Studio in Dover, England. She is sitting near a careful arrangement of fern or some other plant leaves. The child’s expression could be described as “frozen in happiness”.
A young unidentified woman poses for her portrait at Nye & Company in England. Judging by her clothing, stage presence, and stance, she is likely an actress or dancer. Researching the address of the studio resulted in a great deal of evidence that the studio was located in London. However, the name of the street is consistently listed as “Walworth Road”, not “Watworth Road”. It appears that this address was the studio of R. R. Wilson in the 1880’s, Nye in the 1890’s and H. Bown after the turn of the century. These dates are just guesstimates based on examining other cabinet cards that were produced over the years from the studio that existed at the Walworth address.
Studio Karoly produced this cabinet card portrait of an attractive couple in Nottingham, England. The gentleman in the photograph has a terrific mustache, striped pants and a polka dot tie. Note his pocket watch and pocket handkerchief. He is fashionably dressed and so is his wife. She is holding flowers and is wearing a very busy hat. The photographer, Frederick Karoly is mentioned in The Law Times (1894) in regard to his entering bankruptcy. A photograph of Karoly’s appears in The Photogram (1895) in an article about artificial light portraiture.
Dame Ellen Terry (1847-1928) was an English stage actress. The top cabinet card is from the studio of Campbell, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Ellen Terry was the leading Shakespearian actress in Great Britain. She was born into a family that was immersed in the theatre; and future generations continued theatrical pursuits; including grand nephew, John Gielgud (actor, director, producer). Ellen Terry began playing Shakespeare roles as a child and continued to do so. In 1878 she joined Henry Irving’s company. She toured Britain and the United States with great success. In 1903 she took over management of London’s Imperial Theatre and her focus included the plays of George Bernard Shaw and Henrik Ibsen. In 1916 she began acting in films and in 1925 she was made a “Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire”. Terry’s romantic life, including marriages and love affairs, make interesting reading. Research about the photographer of this cabinet card discovered his obituary in the New York Times (1912). The Times reports that Alfred S. Campbell (1839-1912) was a pioneer in the development of art photography. Among his accomplishments was the publication of an edition of the bible that was illustrated with photographs he took in the Holy Land. He emigrated to the United States on the invitation of famed photographer, Napoleon Sarony in 1866. Among his “intimate friends” were Henry Longfellow, Thomas Nast, and William Cullen Bryant . Visitors to the Cabinet Card Gallery can see photographs by Sarony under the category of “Photographer: Sarony” and can see a portrait of William Cullen Bryant under the category of “Journalist”. To view other photographs by Campbell, click on the category “Photographer: Campbell”.
The second cabinet card features Ellen Terry in the role of “Beatrice” in William Shakespeare’s play, “Much Ado About Nothing”. The Window & Grove studio of London,England, published this photograph. The studio operated in London from the 1870’s to at least 1908.
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