PROSPECTORS ON HORSEBACK: COWBOYS FEELING VERY AT HOME ON THE RANGE

This vintage real photo postcard features two riders on horseback. Who are these cowboys? They may be cowpokes, ranch hands, or prospectors. They are equipped with some tools of their trade. One rider has a shovel and a rope, while the other cowboy has a rope and an unidentifiable tool.  The men are riding in the brush. This is not a studio photograph. These wranglers appear to be the real thing. The velox stamp box on this postcard indicates that this photo was taken sometime between 1907 and 1917.

Published in: on March 24, 2018 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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MOTHER AND DAUGHTER PORTRAIT (CARDIFF, WALES)

This cabinet card portrait features a mother and her young daughter. The mother is wearing a dark dress while the daughter is dressed in white; creating a nice contrast in this family photograph. This photo was taken at Sargent Brothers studio in Cardiff, Wales. Cardiff is a port city on the coast of South Wales. I found another cabinet card image at an internet site that reveals that the Sargent Brothers also had studios in the cities of Bristol, Newport, and Penarth.  SOLD

Published in: on March 10, 2018 at 12:00 am  Comments (1)  
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MISS MATTIE LOVEDAY AND HER BICYCLE IN WASHINGTON D.C.

This cabinet card has seen better days. It is quite faded and appears to have been trimmed. The young woman in this photograph poses with a bicycle for an unknown photographer. The subject of this cabinet card image is identified by an inscription on the reverse of the photo. The young lady in the photograph is Miss Mattie Loveday. Preliminary research yielded a disappointingly small amount of information. Here is what we know. The 1900 US census reveals that Miss Loveday was born in 1883 and was a student living in Washington D.C.. She lived with her father (James P. Loveday) and mother (Florence D. Loveday). Also in the home was a 20 year old brother (Arthur), 11 year old sister (Annie), and 7 year old brother (Leo). Her father and older brother both worked as clerks. The brother was also a soldier. Mattie was 17 years old at the time of the 1900 census and it is my guess that this photograph was taken close to that year.  SOLD

 

Published in: on February 1, 2018 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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THE MOST ADORABLE GIRL IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM: A YOUNG GIRL POSES BY A CRESCENT MOON

This is one of the most adorable real photo postcard portraits in my collection. The little girl seen in this photo has a most engaging smile. Even the crescent moon has an engaging smile. At one point in early portrait postcard history, it was not a rare occurrence to photograph someone, or a couple, sitting on, or standing next to, a crescent moon. However, I have seen few close-up crescent moon postcards such as this one. The dark background employed by the photographer is especially effective. Note the little girls colorful striped socks; they are fun and fantastic. This postcard of French origin and if I am reading one of the postmarks correctly, it was mailed in 1908.  (SOLD)

Published in: on January 27, 2018 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
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BAWDY PORTRAIT OF A SCANTILY CLAD YOUNG WOMAN (VAUDEVILLE ACTRESS?)

This vintage bawdy photograph features a young woman scantily clothed and flashing a terrific smile. Her expression is very inviting. I wish I knew the story associated with this risque image. My hypothesis is that the woman is an actress and part of a vaudeville show. Her act was likely focused on bringing men into the theater. She may have been a dancer or a singer. Perhaps she was talented in both dance and song. Note her dress. It certainly didn’t require a lot of material to produce. It shows a lot of the performer’s body, but it is tastefully done. The dress covers “the essentials”. Vaudeville acts were very popular in the United States from the early 1880’s through the early 1930’s. Vaudeville was a genre of theater that was composed of a series of separate and unrelated acts that were presented together at one performance. It is difficult to determine when this photograph was taken. It certainly was produced sometime in the early period of vaudeville. This photograph is not a postcard. I do not believe that the image is a trimmed cabinet card, though it has a cabinet card type board.  An examination of the photos edges reveal that they are straight and smooth. The photograph measures about 5 1/4″ x 3 1/4″. There is a small pinhole through the top center of the image. Someone, decades ago, appreciated this wonderful photograph enough, to hang it on their wall.  ADDENDUM : I have been informed that the woman seen in this photograph is part of Mack Sennetts bathing beauty troupe. This has not yet been confirmed but worth noting.

Published in: on January 14, 2018 at 12:00 pm  Comments (4)  
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PORTRAIT OF A WOMAN AND HER TINY CHIHUAHUA IN GERA, GERMANY

A middle aged woman poses for her portrait at the studio of Gustav Fuchs in Gera, Germany. On the table next to the woman sits her cute little chihuahua wearing a harness and what looks like a dog tag. This dog is not only a miniature, but it is a miniature miniature. The woman appears to be holding back a smile. Note her pocket watch, or locket, which is hanging on a chain and resting on her midriff. The discoloration on the reverse of the photograph likely derives from the photo sitting in a frame for many decades.

SOLD

Published in: on January 4, 2018 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
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TWO WOMEN DRESSED AS NATIVE AMERICANS IN HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT

This vintage photograph features two women dressed as Native Americans. One wonders what occasion caused these ladies to dress in this fashion. Perhaps they are actresses in costume for a theatrical production? Note the women’s beads, Indian blanket, and single feathers atop their heads. Also notice that one of the woman is holding a knife. This photograph was taken by the Taylor Studio in Hartford, Connecticut. Credit for who took this photograph is a bit confusing. First of all, the city of Hartford is crossed out under the studio’s logo. Further complicating identification of the photographer is the fact that beneath the Taylor logo is the embossed signature of another studio (I can’t decipher the studio’s name). This second studio is located in New Britain, Connecticut. It appears to me that the Taylor Studio used the New Britain studio’s card stock rather than invest in new card stock. Research was able to find a photograph of the Taylor Studio. It may be seen on the postcard below. Focus on the banner sign hanging on the fourth floor on the building seen on the far left side of the postcard. The banner is located next to the fourth floor window and reads “Taylor Photo Studio”.  SOLD

Published in: on December 1, 2017 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
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PORTRAIT OF A MAN AND TWO WOMEN MUGGING FOR THE CAMERA (VINTAGE PHOTOGRAPH)

This vintage photograph makes me smile. The three subjects in the photo seem to be mugging for the camera. The threesome are well dressed and well groomed. The identity of the subjects and the photographer are unknown. The photograph measures about 6 1/2″ x 4 1/4″.

Published in: on November 28, 2017 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  

HELEN MILLER GOULD SHEPARD: AMERICAN PHILANTHROPIST DURING THE GILDED AGE

This vintage photographic portrait features Helen Miller Gould (1868-1938). She was the daughter of Jay Gould and was a prominent heiress. She was a heiress because Jay Gould was quite rich. Maybe one of the richest men of his era. He was a leading railroad developer and speculator. Wikipedia reports that he was “one of the ruthless robber barons of the Gilded Age”. Helen was accomplished in her own right. She attended New York University School of Law. She married Finley Johnson Shepard (1867-1942) in 1913. He was an executive at the Missouri Pacific Railroad. She and her husband adopted three children. One of these kids was adopted after being found abandoned on the steps of St Patrick’s Cathedral. She also had one foster child. In 1918, she and Emma Baker Kennedy became the first female vice presidents of the American Bible Society. Helen was a major philanthropist. She donated one hundred thousand dollars the the US government at the start of the Spanish American War. She contributed another fifty thousand dollars toward military hospital supplies. She was active in the Women’s National War Relief Association and worked in a hospital caring for wounded soldiers. Helen donated a library building at New York University and also contributed to its engineering school. She was on the national board of the YWCA and the Russell Sage Foundation. The Russell Sage Foundation funds research relating to income inequality. Areas under study include immigration, ethnicity, labor markets and social inequality in the United States.  Helen Gould was certainly an admirable woman. Through her philanthropy she had a positive impact on many people’s lives. The photograph below is a portrait of Helen Gould Shepard at a slightly younger age than the one above. The photograph above measures about 8″ x 10″.   (SOLD)

Published in: on November 27, 2017 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PORTRAIT OF AN ADORABLE YOUNG BOY BY A PHOTOGRAPHER / MAYOR IN MARION, OHIO

This vintage photograph features an adorable young boy dressed in a sailor styled outfit. He seems to be holding back a smile. The photograph was taken by the Wark studio in Marion, Ohio. James Wark was born in Ireland in 1847. At age 19 he immigrated to the United States and apprenticed for photographer George W Manly (Akron, Ohio). He then worked as a photographer in Kent, Ohio (1871-1891).He is known to have moved to Marion about 1895 and was an active photographer until about 1901. Wark was a busy man in Kent. In the mid 1880’s he he served three terms as Franklin Township’s clerk. He served as mayor of the town between 1886 and 1887. As mayor, Wark had complicated and controversial issues to manage. These controversies included the construction of a municipal waterworks and a resolution to ban saloon traffic in Kent. He relocated to Marion in the Mid 1890’s.  He was a popular resident there and picked up the nickname of “Daddy” Wark. He photographed four generations of clients over his more than sixty year career. He closed his studio in 1933 at 86 years of age. He died in 1934. This photograph measures about 5 1/4″ x 7 3/4″.

Published in: on November 25, 2017 at 12:00 pm  Comments (3)  
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