This is another Cabinet Card which presents some mystery. Emil Scholl is the Philadelphia photographer who took this image but who is this interesting looking gentleman. On the reverse of the card is the scribbled name of what looks to be “Charles Thomas” or “Charles Thome”. Both names are names belonging to actors of this period. The Cabinet Card Gallery includes images of actors photographed by Scholl . Even if the subject of this photograph is not an actor, the image has great clarity and presents an imposing man with much character. Note the handlebar mustache.
IS THIS GUY A FAMOUS ACTOR OR DOES HE JUST LOOK LIKE ONE?
LOYAL ORANGE LODGE MEMBER IN TROY, NEW YORK
This Cabinet Card is a great image of a member of a fraternal organization. The image has great clarity and the image of the sash is very detailed. The previous owner of this photograph reports that the subject of this photograph was a member of the Loyal Orange Lodge. The Orange Institution (Orange Order) is a Protestant fraternal organization based mainly in Scotland and Ireland. There are also some lodges in the Commonwealth and in the United States. The Orange Lodge organization was founded in 1796 in Ireland. The organization has had strong ties to unionism. The name of the group is derived from King William of Orange. An article appears in an 1874 edition of the New York Times that reports that the State Grand Orange Lodge Meeting was being held in Troy, New York which is the location that this photograph was taken by Lloyd’s studio. James H. Lloyd’s photographs can be found in National Magazine (1906) in a story about photographing architecture. In addition, the Photographic Journal of America (1891) announces that Lloyd was awarded a certificate of merit by the US State Department for a photograph of the Troy Polytechnic Institute. The photograph had been exhibited at the Paris Expositon.
A BEARD GROWS IN BROOKLYN (1890)
This Cabinet Card was taken in 1890 by the photographer, Kopke of Brooklyn, New York. Kopke’s studio was located on Fulton Street. The subject has a very interesting beard earning him the honor of entering the Cabinet Card Gallery’s category for Beards (Only the Best). The unidentified subject was 55 years of age when this photograph was taken. To view other photographs by Kopke, click on the category “Photographer: Kopke”.
MAN POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHER IN CALCUTTA, INDIA
Calcutta, India is the location at which this cabinet card photograph was taken. The studio of Johnston and Hoffmann were the photographers. The reverse of the card has the stamp of Austrian lithographer, Bernard Wachtl of Vienna. Calcutta is the current capitol of the Indian state of West Bengal located in eastern India. However, at the time of this photograph and until 1911, during the British Raj (colonial rule), Calcutta was the capitol of India. It would be interesting to know why this gentleman was in India and something about his identity, but this information has been lost over time. Research reveals some information about the photographers. Theodore Julius Hoffmann and P. A. Johnston established a commercial photography studio in Calcutta (1882) and Darjeeling (1890). Their studio is considered to be the second largest commercial photography studio in India in that period. Many of their images were of North and Northeast India as well as Sikkim and Nepal. To view other cabinet cards from India, click on the category “India”. To view other works by Bernard Wachtl, click on the category “Lithographers: Bernard Wachtl”.
OLD MAN WITH PIPE IN BALLSTON, NEW YORK
Mr E. H. Chapman posed for this cabinet card photograph at the studio of J. S. Wooley in Ballston, New York. He inscribed the back of this card indicating that he turned 67 years old on September 17th, 1895. He gave the card to an unidentified person, to mark the occassion. Mr Chapman’s eyes show a certain wisdom that only comes with age. His pipe and straw hat add much character to the image of this older gentleman. Ballston, NY is in Saratoga County, and north of Schenectady. Research reveals that Edw H Chapman was President of the Ballston town board in 1856 and was involved in the manufacture of woolen goods and in 1867 had a business manufacturing bricks. Research also reveals that the photographer of this cabinet card is Jesse Sumner Wooley (1867-1943). At age 13 he worked for a photographer in Saratoga and in 1887 he opened his own photographic studio in Ballston Spa. He became a noted photographer as a result of his taking expeditions and chronicling them in the form of lantern slide/stereoptic lectures. In 1893 he and noted landscape photographer Seneca Ray Stoddard took a photographic expedition exploring the Adirondacks and they prepared a photographic lecture about this trip. Wooley also took similar expeditions to Florida (preparing a photographic historical presentation), the Chicago Exposition (Worlds Fair), New York City (100th anniversary of George Washington’s inaugaration), and to California (Yellowstone National Park). The Florida stereoptic lecture is one of the few professional lantern slide/stereoptic lectures that survive today.
GREAT SIDEBURNS IN MADISON SQUARE, NEW YORK
A distinguished looking gentleman poses for photographer W. Kurtz of Madison Square, New York City, New York. Madison Square is the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Broadway at 23rd Street in Manhattan. Kurtz had photographic studios in New York, Philadelphia, Paris and Vienna. He photographed many celebrities of his time and his work is in the archives of many University libraries, including Harvard University.
AFRICAN AMERICAN MAN IN SOMERVILLE, NEW JERSEY
This interesting Cabinet Card is a photograph of an African American man posing for his portrait at the studio of W. A. Apcar in Somerville, New Jersey. This gentleman looks quite dapper and intellectual. He appears professorial but his biographical information is lost in history.
WHISKERS IN BOSTON
This Cabinet Card is an image of a distinguished looking gentleman with very interesting sideburns and moustache. He is posing at the Hartford Photographic Studio in Boston Massachusetts.
SYLVESTER HOAG LOOKS COOL IN ROCHESTER, NEW YORK
This Cabinet Card features Sylvester Hoag posing for his portrait. Sylvester is looking quite cool in his overcoat and derby hat. Note the chain from his pocket watch. He has the appearance of a man waiting for something or someone. He has a nice moustache. If he lived today, I bet he would be called Sly Hoag. This photograph comes from his sister’s Hoag family album. His sister lived in Palmyra, New York. The photographer of the cabinet card is Pomeroy of Rochester, New York.
DISTINGUISHED LOOKING BEARDED MAN IN JACKSON, MICHIGAN
This is a cabinet card portrait of a very distinguished looking man photographed in Jackson, Michigan. The man is well dressed and his hair is styled. Pencilled on the back of this photograph are the words “this is your great great grandpa Meserill (sp). The photographer of this photograph is John W. Paine (1844-?). Information appears about this photographer in a book titled The History of Jackson County Michigan (1881). Paine started his studio in Jackson in 1868 on a shoestring budget. He had 3 dollars worth of supplies and no chair. For his first three years he specialized in ferreotypes. He expanded the business into larger quarters at least three times. The studio that produced this cabinet card existed sometime after 1877. He learned the skills of his profession in Adrion, Michigan in 1861. He married Beatrice (Weaver) Jenkins in 1879. He was a mason.
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 