This cabinet card photograph features an attractive and well dressed young woman posing for her portrait at the Moreno & Lopez studio in New York City. An inscription on the reverse of this photograph, identifies the lovely subject of this image as “Maria Estevez”. Miss Estevez has the kind of appearance that causes an observer to mutter to oneself , “I know that she is somebody, but, who is she?”. Antonio E. Moreno was a Cuban painter and graphic artist who became a photographer after seeing the success of his New York based countryman, Jose Maria Mora (see category “Photographer: Mora”). In 1881, Moreno took over a failing New York City photographic studio. The business end of the studio was run by his co-director, Jose Lopez. Moreno developed the business into a great success due to his talent as a photographer, developer and innovator. He became noted in photographic circles and received much acclaim from his participation in photographic expositions. He surrounded himself with talented co-workers. Much of his staff came from Mexico. Spanish cameraman Antonio Urda was considered to be excellent at his craft but was a fiery man who eventually committed suicide by drinking development fluid, after failing to murder printer, Domingo Costello. After this incident, Moreno preferred to hire English speaking Europeans to work at his studio. One of his hires was printer Nahum Lubosh, whom he snared from celebrated photographer B. J. Falk (see category “Photographer: Falk”). Another employee, cameraman A. L. Simpson, pioneered the use of slides utilized in theater sing-alongs. In 1890 Moreno partnered with the Taber Art Company in publishing photographs of beautiful female models in what has been described as “genre scenes and allegories”. The photographs were well posed, precisely lit and very tasteful. Moreno’s gallery was in business for a quarter of a century and was a center for performing arts portraiture. One wonders if the subject of this cabinet card portrait was in fact a theater actress, or one of Moreno’s pretty models. SOLD
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 