THE CABINET CARD GALLERY

This striking early-20th-century photographic postcard presents an elaborate staged scene featuring five young girls, one boy, and a pug-type dog. The children are arranged around what appears to be a cushioned bed or divan in a photographer’s studio, with flowers scattered through the composition and a painted backdrop behind them. The five girls wear beautifully detailed white Edwardian dresses decorated with lace, ruffles and large hair ribbons; several have extraordinarily long hair, adding considerably to the visual appeal of the image. In the center, a stout little pug sits upright on an ornate fringed cushion, wearing an impressive studded collar and harness and looking directly toward one of the girls. At the far right is the only boy in the group. He wears a sailor-inspired outfit, including a striped shirt and broad white sailor collar, and holds a long toy rifle vertically beside him. The juxtaposition of the delicately dressed girls, the heavily harnessed pug and the boy with his rifle gives the scene an almost theatrical or storybook quality. It may have been intended to represent children engaged in make-believe rather than an ordinary family portrait. The card was published as part of a series (no.325). The card was mailed in Belgium. The green stamp is a Belgian 1-centime Coat of Arms issue, a design introduced in 1893; catalog references place this particular Coat of Arms series in the 1893 period. The circular cancellation appears to read LIÈGE, so the card was apparently mailed from Liège, Belgium. This postcard was published sometime circa 1907. SOLD

This charming antique cabinet card photograph features a beautifully posed young girl seated in a carved studio chair. Captured by Myers J. Bucklin of Little Falls, New York, the image exudes turn-of-the-century elegance and innocence. The child gazes directly at the camera with a calm, composed expression. Her long, curly hair flows past her shoulders, topped by an oversized feathered hat adorned with a large bow. She wears a light-colored, eyelet-lace dress, along with a choker, pendant necklace, and a beaded bracelet. Her high-buttoned boots and dainty bouquet of flowers complete the enchanting portrait. The photographer, Myers J. Bullock, operated a well-regarded studio in Little Falls, NY, known for producing high-quality cabinet portraits like this one. The mounted photograph, including the decorative card stock, measures approximately 5 ¾ x 7 ¾ inches, while the actual image area measures about 3 ¾ x 5 ½ inches. The cabinet card is in good condition for its age, with some corner wear and light surface spotting typical of early 20th-century mounting cards. (SOLD)

This vintage real photo postcard features a street scene in Sparland, Illinois. The postcard pictures North Church Street. The dirt road, sidewalks, wood fences, trees, houses, and church provide an interesting street view.  This postcard was photographed and L. E. Clark. His name was engraved on the negative of this card and is readily seen in the lower right quadrant of the card. The Cyko stamp box on the reverse of this postcard indicates that it was published sometime between 1904 and the 1920’s.  SOLD

This vintage real photo postcard features John Philip Sousa (1854-1932). He was a renowned American bandmaster and composer of military marches. He grew up in Washington D.C. where he learned to play various band instruments. He also studied harmony and musical theory. In 1868, he enlisted in the Marines and apprenticed in the Marine band. He built a excellent reputation as a bandmaster of this group. In 1892, he formed hisown band and he toured the United States and the World. Sousa composed 136 military marches, His talent produced “Semper Fidelis” (1888), “The Washington Post” (1889), and “The Stars and Stripes Forever” (1897). He also wrote 11 operettas and more than 70 songs. Sousa redeveloped the bass tuba which became known as the Sousaphone. During World War l, he joined the U.S. Navy and headed it’s band training center. He later wrote three novels, musical instruction books, and an autobiography, “Marching Along” (1928). This postcard was published by Rotary Photo as part of a series (no.2537B). SOLD

This vintage real photo postcard features a view of Fire Place Lodge (FPL), in East Hampton, Long Island, New York. Fire Place Lodge was a girls’ camp overlooking Gardiner’s Bay. The camp operated between 1936 and 1972. The camp promoted Sports, the Arts, and Academics. FPL stood for Friendship, Purposeful Living, and Loyalty. This postcard was published by the Artvue Post Card Company of New York City. The postcard was postmarked in East Hampton in 1967. SOLD

This vintage real photo postcard features a handsome and well dressed gentleman. He looks wise and distinguished. The card’s AZO stamp box indicates that it was produced by a private studio sometime between 1910 and 1930.  SOLD

This undivided back real photo postcard (RPPC) captures three distinguished gentlemen in a posed studio portrait, dated in 1905, in Brussels, Belgium. The men are elegantly dressed in early 20th-century formal attire, exuding an air of confidence and sophistication. The man seated on the left wears a well-tailored three-piece suit with a tie, a crisp collared shirt, and a straw boater hat tilted slightly. He holds a walking cane, adding a touch of refinement to his appearance. His facial expression is serious but composed, with a focused gaze. The gentleman standing in the center wears a dark suit, waistcoat, and bow tie, topped with a classic fedora. He places one hand on the small ornate table before him, where a fine china tea set is displayed, suggesting a moment of leisure. His expression is confident and assertive, with a slight hint of a smile. The man seated to the right leans back in his chair in a relaxed but distinguished posture. His light-colored suit, waistcoat, and patterned tie complement his thick mustache and neatly groomed hair. His straw boater hat, similar to the first seated gentleman’s, rests on his head at a slight angle. He crosses one leg over the other, exhibiting an air of ease and self-assurance. The backdrop consists of a painted clouded sky, a common setting in professional photography studios of the era. The overall composition reflects a well-balanced arrangement of figures, clothing, and props. At the bottom of the image, the inscription reads “Brussels, Belgium, Aug 12 – 1905,” elegantly handwritten, confirming both the location and date of this striking portrait.  (SOLD)

This beautiful vintage lithograph postcard features an elegant oval portrait of Mary Pickford (1892–1979), the beloved silent-film actress who became internationally famous as “America’s Sweetheart,” her softly curled hair framing her face as she gazes pensively toward the camera. The portrait bears the credit of the Otto Sarony Company, the celebrated New York theatrical photography studio associated with Otto Sarony, son of renowned photographer Napoleon Sarony, although Otto’s death in 1903 means the actual photographer was likely one of his studio’s successors. The caption advertises Pickford’s exclusive appearances in productions of the Famous Players Film Company, established by Adolph Zukor in 1912 to bring celebrated performers to the motion-picture screen and a predecessor of Paramount Pictures. The postcard was published by Kraus Manufacturing Company of New York, a firm known for producing lithographic view cards and theatrical postcards, with its publisher’s imprint appearing on the divided reverse. According to the Mary Pickford Foundation, this postcard was published in 1913, making it an early souvenir from the emerging golden age of silent cinema and Pickford’s rise to international stardom. SOLD

This unusually engaging cabinet photograph shows two fashionably dressed young men posed astride their bicycles in the studio of Olivia Bergsten of Ramsele, Sweden, probably around 1900–1904. Rather than merely standing beside the bicycles, both men are seated as though ready to ride, their hands placed firmly on the handlebars and their gazes directed beyond the camera. The painted woodland background, artificial grass, and carefully arranged bicycles turn the portrait into a lively celebration of cycling at a time when the modern safety bicycle had become an important symbol of mobility, recreation, and modern life. The two young men may have been brothers, friends, or cycling companions, although their identities are not recorded. Both wear dark, well-tailored suits with high white collars and polished shoes. The man at left wears a narrow necktie and a close-fitting peaked cap resembling the practical caps commonly associated with cyclists and working men, while his companion wears a bow tie, waistcoat, white pocket square, and broad-brimmed felt hat. Their contrasting hats and slightly different degrees of formality give each young man an individual appearance while preserving the sense that they deliberately dressed for the portrait. The bicycles are early diamond-frame safety bicycles, with similarly sized front and rear wheels, chain-driven rear wheels, narrow tires, and curved handlebars. This design largely replaced the dangerous high-wheel bicycle during the late 1880s and 1890s. Because bicycles were large, expensive, and difficult to position inside a studio, photographs showing two complete bicycles and their riders are substantially less common and more desirable than ordinary standing portraits. The photographer’s name is Olivia Bergsten. She was a woman photographer, making the studio imprint particularly noteworthy. Olivia Bergstén was born in Sånga, Sweden, in 1881, and died in 1972. Swedish photographic records identify her professionally as a photographer and document her studio activity in Ramsele during the early twentieth century. She married in 1904 and thereafter used the married surname Bågenholm, so a mount bearing only “Olivia Bergsten” very likely dates from the brief period before or around her marriage. Women played a significant role in Sweden’s early commercial photographic trade, and Bergsten appears to have entered the profession while still a very young woman. She was only about 19 to 23 years old during the probable period in which this photograph was made. Although detailed information about her training and the exact dates of her studio operation remains limited, surviving portraits bearing her Ramsele imprint establish that she operated there.  Ramsele is a small community in northern Sweden. The photograph is mounted on heavy charcoal-gray card stock with a narrow black border.  SOLD

This charming Victorian cabinet card features two adorable young girls posed together in matching-style dresses, each holding a doll, creating an especially appealing late-19th-century childhood portrait. The handwritten inscription on the reverse identifies them as Ellen Joyce C., age 4½, and Janet Evelyn Chevallier, age 3½, and dates the photograph to 1894. The portrait was produced by Wayland & Co. Studios, Rembrandt House, Blackheath, with another studio at Streatham, and the reverse proudly advertises “Children A Specialty,” making the subject of this photograph particularly fitting. The Blackheath studio is associated with photographer Henry Abraham Booth Wayland (1859–1922), whom the National Portrait Gallery identifies as a London photographer working at Rembrandt House, Blackheath. Examples of Wayland’s cabinet-card portraiture are held in the National Portrait Gallery collection. He is a photographer held in high esteem. SOLD