This cabinet card features Mary Stott from Scotland, according to the inscription on the reverse of the cabinet card. The inscription also includes the describes the subject as ” auntie Mary, our mothers sister before she married Jack Stott in Edzell, Scotland.” Mary is wearing her hair up and is well adorned in jewelry. The photographer is J. Candlish Ruddock, of Bondgate, Alnwick, England.
AUNTIE MARY FROM SCOTLAND
MAN AND TWO WOMEN POSE ON BOARD SHIP IN BLACKPOOL, GREAT BRITAIN
This cabinet card of a man and two women posing aboard a ship, was photographed by D. Mitchell of Blackpool, Great Britain. The photographer, whose studio was located near a pier in the seaside city of Blackpool, utilized a relevant nautical theme. The backdrop is fantastic and the hanging rope held by the gentleman, and the ropes in front of the ladies, are a “great touch”. This is one of the finest uses of background scenery and props that can be found in the entire cabinet card gallery. The South Pier was originally named the Victoria Pier. The pier opened in 1893 and served vacation travelers to Blackpool. The subjects of this cabinet card image are likely tourists on holiday.
WESTERN DRESSED ASIAN MAN: PORTRAIT BY PHOTOGRAPHERS TO THE QUEEN
This cabinet card is a portrait of a formally dressed young man who appears to be of Asian descent. The gentleman may be a visitor to the West; or he may be an immigrant to, or resident of the country where he was photographed. The man is handsome and dressed like a man of means. The photographic studio is A & G Taylor, one of several British studios that claim to be “Photographers to the Queen”. Andrew and George Taylor owned the largest Victorian Photography firms in the United Kingdom. The company was started in London in the 1860’s. This particular photograph was taken after 1886 (determined by the back stamp logo); and at that time, the firm had branches in 36 United Kingdom cities, and in 6 cities in the United States.
LADY WITH A WINGED HAT IN KESWICK, GREAT BRITAIN
A lady poses in the studio of Henry Mayson in Keswick, Great Britain. The reverse of the card states that the studio is in the Lake District. The subject of this cabinet card photograph is wearing a winged hat and lots of jewelry.
A BOY AND A SHOVEL (1886)
A young boy poses in the studio of Brown, Barnes and Bell for a portrait. He is wearing a knit sailor outfit and holding a toy shovel. The tool is most likely a studio prop and not revealing any information about the child. The photograph was taken in 1886 as determined by the logo on the reverse of the card. Richard Brown, Robert William Barnes and Joseph Bell built a dynasty of photographic studios that reached around the world. At the time of this photograph, the studio had locations in London, Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, and New Castle. All of these studios were located in England so the international expansion had not begun yet. The studio advertised themselves as photographers to “Her Majesty The Queen” and the Prince of Wales, and several members of the Royal Family.
FASHIONABLE FAMILY OF FOUR IN LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND
This Cabinet Card was produced by the Electric Light & Daylight Studios of Richard Brown in Liverpool, England. This well dressed family of four poses for their portrait. Both father and son are wearing suits with exposed watch chains. Mom is wearing a beautiful dress and the daughter is adorned with a necklace. Research indicates that advertising one’s studio as “Electric Light & Daylight” was a method of informing people that the studio was capable of evening hour photography.
EXTREMELY COMPOSED COUPLE IN GRANTHAM, ENGLAND
This cabinet card features a very cool and composed couple posing for their portrait at the photographic studio of J. H. Miller in Grantham, England. Grantham is 24 miles east of Nottingham and is the birthplace of Margaret Thatcher. Grantham is also noted for being the first locale in Great Britain to employ female police officers (1914).
PRETTY WOMAN IN RUFFLED LACE DRESS (LEEDS, ENGLAND)
This cabinet card is an image of a very pretty woman who is also quite fashionable. She is wearing a ruffled lace dress and appears very comfortable in front of the camera. She is wearing matching bracelets around each of her lower arms. Hopefully a visitor to the site can explain the reason she is wearing two matching bracelets and why they are worn higher than her wrists. The photographer is J.Garratt of Leeds, England.
Marie Tempest: English Singer and Actress
Marie Temptest (1864-1942) was a famous soprano in late Victorian light opera and Edwardian musical comedies. She later became a a leading comic actress. She toured in North America and other parts of the world. She was also a significant force behind the founding of the actors union Actors’ Equity in England. She was born in London, England and educated in Belgium. Her later musical education took place in Paris and London. She had her debut in 1885 in the operetta Boccaccio in London. After a few years in other performances, she performed on Broadway over a three year span. She was in numerous productions including The Tyrolean, and The Fencing Master. She was considered on the few rivals to Lillian Russell. Tempest was a difficult star but mellowed in middle age. She was a very active actress and performed in numerous productions over the years. She was created a Dame Commander of the British Empire in 1937. The top Cabinet Cafd was photographed by famous celebrity photographer Falk, of New York City. The bottom Cabinet Card was produced by A. Bassano of London, England.
LORD WILLIAM CAVENDISH-BENTINCK, 6TH DUKE OF PORTLAND (1857-1943)
Lord William Cavendish-Bentinck was the 6th Duke of Portland and was a conservative British politician. He held office as Master of the Horse under Lord Salisbury (1886-1892 and 1895-1902) and under Arthur Balfour (1902-1905). From 1898 until 1939 he served as Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire. At the coronation of King George VI he carried the crown of Queen Elizabeth. He was also known for owing a stable of Thoroughbred race horses which included some well known and successful horses. The photographic studio that produced this Cabinet Card is Elliott & Fry of London, England. This Victorian photographic studio and photographic film manufacturer was founded in 1863 by Joseph John Elliott and Clarence Edmund Fry. For an entire century the studio took and published images of leading Victorian luminaries from the fields of science, public service, art, politics as well as celebrities of the day. Famous Edwardian photographer working for the studio included Francis Henry Hart and Alfred James Philpott. Most of the early negatives from this studio were destroyed in the bombing of London during World War II. The surviving negatives are held by Great Britain’s National Portrait Gallery.
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 