FLORENCE COLLINGBOURNE: STAGE ACTRESS

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The beautiful woman pictured in this Cabinet card is stage actress, Florence Collingbourne. Obtaining significant biographical information about her has been difficult and further research will be done and provided in an addition to this blog. However, information from readers about this stage beauty will be appreciated.  The Cabinet card was produced by the Rotary Photographic Company which also produced many postcards with images of theatrical stars. This Cabinet card was published  in London, England. The second image displayed is a vintage real photo postcard also featuring the beautiful Miss Collingbourne (1880-?). The postcard was published by the Rotary Photo Company. The reverse of the postcard has evidence that it once occupied a photo album.

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Published in: on August 20, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Comments (2)  
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PAULINE HALL (1860-1919): BEAUTIFUL MUSICAL THEATRE STAR

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The top cabinet card features Pauline Hall (1860-1919), one of the most popular turn of the century prima donnas. She began her career as a dancer in Cincinnati, Ohio at age 15. She joined the Alice Oats Opera Company but left to tour in plays with famed actress Mary Anderson. By 1880, she worked for well known producer Edward Everett Rice in musical productions. Early in their association, he gave her a role in “Evangeline”. Her shapely figure allowed her to take male roles as she did in “Ixion” (1885). Her greatest success came in the title role of the first American production of  “Erminie” (1886). She played in more than two dozen Broadway operettas. Her final role was in the “Gold Diggers” (1919). This photograph was taken by famed celebrity photographer, Elmer Chickering of Boston, Massachusetts. Other photographs by Chickering can be seen by clicking on Cabinet Card Gallery’s category of “Photographer: Chickering, E.”.

The second cabinet card, photographed by B. J. Falk, of New York City, captures Pauline Hall in stage costume. The photograph is #305 in a series from Newsboy. The tobacco company (Newsboy) gave away cabinet cards as a premium with the purchase of their products. This cabinet card shows a copyright date in the 1890’s. The exact date has become illegible over time. (SOLD)

The third cabinet card portrait was also photographed by Falk. Ms. Hall looks quite beautiful in this image. She is wearing earrings and an interesting hat. The photograph is a bit risque. Much of her neck and shoulders are exposed. In addition, her dress accentuates and reveals significant cleavage. Is the material at the base of her scoop neckline part of her dress; or was it added in order to make the photograph less provocative? Perhaps a visitor to the cabinet card gallery will be able to provide an explanation.  SOLD

The fourth cabinet card image, once again photographed by B J Falk, features Miss Hall wearing a dark dress, long gloves, a lovely hat, and a purse. Pauline Hall certainly was a stage beauty as attested by this photograph.  SOLD

Published in: on July 11, 2015 at 7:44 pm  Comments (4)  
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PRETTY WOMAN WEARING A FEATHERED HAT IN SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

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A pretty well dressed young woman poses for her portrait at the Anderson studio in San Francisco, California. She is wearing a beautiful dress with a large bow and a feathered hat sits atop her head. She is also wearing what appears to be diamond earrings and a collar pin. I would guess, and it’s only a guess,  that the woman in this photograph is an actress. The woman’s beauty, attire, and poise leads me to hypothesize her theatrical background. Perhaps a visitor to the cabinet card gallery will recognize her and be able to provide the rest of us with her identity. The photographer of this image is Hugh S. Anderson. He was born in Scotland sometime between 1820 and 1828.  Anderson was a California photographer who operated studios in Eureka (1858-1865), Hydesville (1859-1860), San Francisco (1866-c1895), and Petaluma (1875). The Valencia Street studio that produced this photograph operated between 1879 and 1884.   SOLD

Published in: on April 19, 2015 at 9:48 am  Comments (6)  
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PORTRAIT OF AN ADORABLE YOUNG GIRL IN GATESHEAD, ENGLAND

 

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The young girl in this cabinet card photograph looks absolutely adorable in her lace dress and cute hat. She is holding a fan and wearing a paper garland of flowers. This sweet child was photographed by George Frank who’s studio was located in Gateshead, England. An image of the reverse of this cabinet card can be found below. This is an excellent example of some of the better advertising employed by photographers to symbolize their artistry.   (SOLD)

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Published in: on April 14, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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ADORABLE LITTLE GIRL AND A BIG HAT IN LIBERTY, MISSOURI

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This cabinet card features an adorable little girl wearing a little white dress with lace on the hem and sleeves. She is posed next to a big hat and is holding one of the hat’s ribbons. This little girl looks like a doll. She is looking right at the photographer but is displaying a great deal of suspicion.This portrait was taken at the studio of J. T. Hicks which was located in Liberty, Missouri. Jacob T. Hicks (1840-1924) was the first professional photographer in Clay and Ray Counties (Missouri). He retired in 1912. The reverse of this cabinet card has an inscription identifying the little girl in this image as “Bessie Dougherty” who was “Liz’s mother”. Research revealed little about the life of little Bessie. She was born in 1882 and she was listed in the school yearbook as a student at the American Mozart Academy in Liberty. The school’s yearbook was called Liberty Ladies College. Check out the portrait of J. T. Hicks and the image of his gravestone found below.   (SOLD)

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Published in: on November 18, 2014 at 6:13 pm  Leave a Comment  
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THREE YOUNG ADULTS HAVING FUN IN BUTLER, PA

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This cabinet card portrait features two young women and a young man posing together at the Zuver studio in Butler, Pennsylvania. The three subjects appear to be friends judging by the amount of affection seen in the photograph. One woman is leaning into the other and the young man has his arm placed behind the pretty woman in the center. The three subjects also appear to be having fun as can be ascertained from the smiles on their faces. All three subjects are wearing terrific hats. Lewis W. Zuver was active in the photography business from the late nineteenth century through the early twentieth century. A help wanted ad for his studio appeared in  the Bulletin of Photography (1921). His brother, Leonard Zuver operated a studio in Tionesta, Pennsylvania. His sister, Mary Zuver West ran a photography studio in Bradford, Pennsylvania and specialized in portraits of women and children. To view photographs by this photographer’s brother, Lewis and to learn more about his family; click on the category “Photographer: Zuver”.

 

Published in: on October 8, 2014 at 8:32 am  Leave a Comment  
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NINE YEAR OLD BESSIE STRODES AND HER BIG HAT IN WARRENSBURG, MISSOURI

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This cabinet card portrait features a young girl wearing a big hat. She is very cute. She is also wearing a big bow. The portrait of this child was taken at the studio of A. Hinkel & Son in Warrensburg, Missouri. Inscribed on the verso of this photograph is the girls name and age, “Bessie Strodes Aged 9 years”. Preliminary research did not find find much information about little Miss Strodes. The 1910 US census listed a Bessie Strodes that resided in Kansas, Missouri (58 miles from Warrensburg). She was born in 1894 and at the time of the census was a sixteen year-old lodger working as a saleslady in a drug store.No information was located concerning the photographer, A. Hinkel.
ADDENDUM: A blog (http://1973whsreunion.blogspot.com/) focusing on the history of Warrensburg is using this photograph and did further research on Hinkel. The blog reports that the photographer of this cabinet card was Adam Hinkel, who was born in Germany in 1833. He immigrated to the United States in 1852 and married Christiana Schaefer (1833-1899). Hinkel died in Warrensburg in 1901.

Published in: on August 18, 2014 at 8:21 pm  Comments (3)  
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WELL DRESSED AND TROUBLED IN REDRUTH, ENGLAND

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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”.

 

Published in: on August 2, 2014 at 5:13 pm  Leave a Comment  
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A WOMAN WITH INTENSE EYES AND AN INTENSE HAT IN FORT WAYNE, INDIANA

LADY HAT F_0002The woman in this cabinet card photograph is identified as “Hattie Sugle”. Her name appears in an inscription on the reverse of the photograph. Hattie has intense eyes and is wearing an interesting large hat. Research could not garner any further information about this individual. The photographer of this image is John A. Shoaff (1836-1921) who operated a photography studio in Fort Bend, Indiana. To learn more about this photographer and to view more of his photographs, click on the category “Photographer: Shoaff”.   SOLD

 

 

Published in: on February 13, 2014 at 11:48 am  Comments (2)  
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TWO WISCONSIN DANDIES VISIT THE PHOTOGRAPHER IN RICE LAKE, WISCONSIN

Two well dressed men pose for their portrait at T. H. Webster’s studio in Rice Lake, Wisconsin. The fellow with the walking stick is wearing striped pants and a top hat. The other gentleman is wearing a rather odd hat. Perhaps one of the Cabinet Card Gallery’s visitors will be able to inform the rest of us about the unusual hat. These Wisconsin dandies appear to be enjoying themselves while having their image taken. T. H. Webster is listed by internet photographer directory Langdon Road as operating in Rice Lake during the 1880’s. However, another source reports that he sold his studio to photographer Homer C. Reed in 1893.

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Published in: on December 1, 2013 at 11:41 am  Leave a Comment  
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