FOUR US SOLDIERS HAVING FUN WHILE ON LEAVE IN NEW YORK CITY (VINTAGE PHOTOGRAPH)

tank

The previous owner of this vintage photograph described it as featuring four US soldiers/cooks on KP (kitchen police) duty. I have my own interpretation of the photograph and perhaps you have your own view which I hope you will share. I believe that the young men are from a military base due to their clothing and their choice of having a backdrop which included a tank. If they are soldiers, they are clearly on leave. The fact that one man is wearing a white apron and another man is wearing a white jacket indicates that their military duties may include working in a kitchen. However, there is also a possibility that the afore mentioned white clothing and the two hats seen in the photo are just studio props. Note that two of the men are holding cigarettes while being photographed. Whatever the story really is, this is a terrific image that captures the aura of friendship between these young men. The photographer’s embossed logo is difficult to read but it is decipherable that his name was Thompson and his studio was located somewhere in New York City.

Published in: on January 1, 2016 at 1:07 pm  Comments (3)  
Tags: ,

IMAGE AND STORY: YOUNG SOLDIER COMES HOME FROM WORLD WAR I (VINTAGE REAL PHOTO POSTCARD)

african american man 2

On November 11th, 1918, World War I came to an end. It was a joyous time and soldiers and sailors from all the fighting nations were able to return home to their loved ones. This real photo postcard provides a visual image of that time in history. We see two ships speeding home on a a rough ocean. The postcard shows an American soldier who is portrayed as being on one of these ships. Note the American flag in the background as well as the flags on each ship. This was truly a patriotic time. On the reverse of the postcard is a most interesting message. On 12/13/18, about a month after the war’s end, Richard M. Daebelliehn (1889-1964) wrote a message to his wife. I will decipher it the best that I can as it is not totally legible. “Dear Wife, I will wire you just as soon as I hit USA and will have you meet me. You can be expecting a telegram from me”. He signed his name and followed it with an alphabet soup of letters, “HQ (headquarters) M.O.R.S. (?) A. E. F. (American Expeditionary Force) France. It also appears that the word “Cook” appears before his name. Daebelliehn sent this postcard to his wife who was living in Davenport, Iowa. Research reveals that his wife’s name was Grace Luttsia Anderson. The 1920 US census reports that the couple had two children, Dorothea (age 9), and Robert (age 7). The census, as well as many city directories, indicate that Richard was a butcher (meat cutter) for many years. In fact, he owned his own business. Knowing that Richard was a butcher before the war likely explains why he was a cook in the military. Richard and his family lived in Rock Island, Illinois at the time of the census. I wish I could say that after Richard was reunited with his family that they lived happily together for many years. However, Grace died in September of 1921 in Springfield, Illinois. Richard remarried (Margaret Daebelliehn) sometime before 1930. This postcard was produced by Furia, a French postcard company. The postcard certainly is a relic of history with an image on one side and a story on the other side.

african american man 3

Published in: on October 20, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Comments (7)  
Tags: , , , , ,

FRENCH MILITARY MAN FROM THE 18TH BATTALION DE CHASSEURS (CARTE DE VISITE)

colonel

This carte de visite portrait features a French foot soldier from the 18th batallion de chasseurs. Chasseur is the French word for hunter. The term was used by the French and Belgian Army to denote light infantry or light cavalry. These troops were trained and utilized for rapid action.  The soldier in this image is holding a pair of white gloves. His facial expression exudes everything military. The photograph was taken by the Gabriel Studio.

SOLD

colonel 1

Published in: on October 5, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
Tags: , ,

FUNERAL OF A SOVIET PARTISAN COMMANDER (VINTAGE PHOTOGRAPH)

russian funeral

This vintage photograph features the funeral of a Soviet partisan commander. The previous owner of this image states that the photograph was taken in 1943 although this date is unconfirmed. There are many things to note in this photograph. We see the deceased lying in an open coffin surrounded by many members of his community and family. Some of the men are holding rifles. The top of the coffin is in the foreground of the image and laying on it are two crossed rifles, a garland of flowers, and the late officers military cap. A large portrait of the deceased can also be seen in the foreground. This image certainly gives the viewer a real glimpse into Russian history. The image measures 5 3/4 ” x 7″ and is not on card stock. ADDENDUM: The cabinet card gallery is fortunate to have informed visitors who generously leave comments and information about many of this  site’s photographs. Two such visitors have informed me (see comments) that the identity of the man in the large photograph in front of the coffin is not the deceased. Actually, the portrait is of Vladimir Lenin.

Published in: on August 24, 2015 at 11:59 am  Comments (9)  

ADORABLE LITTLE GIRL IN BUFFALO, NEW YORK

wunsch

This cabinet card portrait features a charming little girl wearing a long dark dress and a serious expression. The photographer of this image is William Wunsch (1846-1929). His obituary, which appeared in the Buffalo News, indicates that he was a war hero. As Wunsch requested, he was buried with three war medals (including the Gold Cross). Wunsch was a lieutenant in the Franco Prussian Wars and he was decorated for bravery. He came to the United States in 1871 and was granted citizenship in 1876. He was married to Sophia E. Steinmetz Wunsch (1878-1949). He resumed his Prussian career as a photographer after immigrating to the United States. He was very active in the German community of Buffalo, particularly with singing societies. Wunsch was still a photographer at the time of his death even though he was 83 years old. He is buried in Buffalo’s Forest Lawn Cemetery. Judging by the scalloped edges of this photograph, the image was produced sometime after 1886. Wunsch’s studio was located on Military Road at least between 1878 and 1927. It is interesting to note that this war hero photographer located his studio on a street called “Military Road” and used a military figure in his business logo which can be seen on the reverse of the cabinet card (see image below).  (SOLD)

wunsch 1

Published in: on July 22, 2015 at 2:23 am  Leave a Comment  
Tags: , , , , , ,

HANDSOME GERMAN OFFICER WEARING DRESS UNIFORM IN ULM, GERMANY (CDV)

officer

This vintage photograph is a cartes de visite (pre cabinet card era). The image captures a German officer looking quite handsome in his fine uniform. Note his long coat and cap. He is holding his dress gloves in is left hand. The photographer of this cdv is Emil Burger and his studio was located in Ulm, Germany. Ulm is a city in the federal German state of Baden-Württemberg and is situated on the Danube River.

SOLD

Published in: on May 7, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Comments (3)  
Tags: ,

PORTRAIT OF A YOUNG SOLDIER AND A YOUNG WOMAN IN SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

officer and lady

This vintage photograph features a uniformed American soldier and a young woman who is likely either his girl friend, wife, or sister. The young man is handsome and his uniform is crisp. His expression has a military air about it. The young woman in this image does not seem very comfortable with the process of being photographed. This portrait was produced by the Johnson studio which was located in San Francisco, California. This photograph measures 3 1/2″ x 5″. A close-up of the soldier and his companion can be found below.  (SOLD)

officer and lady 1

Published in: on April 1, 2015 at 5:20 pm  Comments (1)  
Tags:

HANDSOME MAN IN MILITARY UNIFORM AND HIS PRETTY WIFE IN MONTELIMAR, FRANCE

soldier wedding

This cabinet card photograph features a very handsome couple posing at the L. Lang Jeune studio in Montelimar, France. The image may be a wedding photo. The gentleman in this photograph strikes a dashing figure in his military dress uniform and boots. His wife appears delicate and pretty. She is bright eyed and displaying a nice smile. Advertising on the reverse of the cabinet card indicates that the studio that created this image was founded in 1869 and had won a medal at an exhibition in 1909,   SOLD

Published in: on December 23, 2014 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
Tags: ,

PORTRAIT OF A HANDSOME UNIFORMED FRENCH SOLDIER

soldier

This cabinet card portrait features a handsome French soldier in uniform.  He appears to be an officer judging by the braids on his shoulder but I am uncertain of his rank. The photographer of this image is Eugene de Paris. Interestingly, Eugene was not actually located in Paris but instead operated his studio in Toulon, a city in southern France. Advertising on the reverse of the cabinet card indicates that Eugene de Paris won photography medals at the Exposition of 1873. This exposition was likely the World Exposition which was held in Vienna in 1873.  SOLD

Published in: on December 21, 2014 at 6:00 pm  Comments (6)  
Tags: , , , ,

POLISH MILITARY OFFICER AND HIS FAMILY IN WARSAW, POLAND

SOLDIER FAMILY F

This cabinet card features a Polish military officer posing with his wife and smiling baby at the studio of S. Trzcinski in Warsaw, Poland.

store

Published in: on January 31, 2014 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
Tags: , ,
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »