A pretty young woman poses for a cabinet card portrait at the Worden studio in Boston, Massachusetts. This profile portrait provides a nice view of her lacy dress and pinned flowers. The reverse of the photograph has an inscription that states “Compliments of Miss Gertrude Foster”. Research was unable to find an actress, dancer, or singer with the name of Gertrude Foster. It seems likely that the Gertrude Foster seen in this cabinet card was not a celebrity. Researching Miss Foster was unproductive because her name is too common in the Boston area. To view more photographs from the Worden studio, click on the category “Photographer: Worden”. ADDENDUM: I stumbled upon some biographical data about Miss Foster. It turns out that Gertrude Foster was a stage actress during the cabinet card era. The Capital (1898) reported that she was the “leading lady actress” at the Alcazar Theater in San Francisco before accepting a place in the touring Belasco & Thall Theater Company. Miss Foster is mentioned again in the San Francisco Call (1900). The newspaper reports her marriage to Edward W. Mansfield who was the manager of the Fisher Opera House in San Diego, California. Apparently Mansfield was smitten with her when they met professionally some years before. Mansfield reportedly waited to pursue her until she had an opportunity to garner some “fame”.
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 