PORTRAIT OF A FASHIONABLE YOUNG WOMAN (THE BUTTON LADY)

This cabinet card portrait features a well dressed young woman. She appears to be in her late teenage years. Her dress is adorned with an abundance of buttons as well as webbing and lace . She apparently liked jewelry as she is wearing a collar pin, a pin on her dress, and a couple of rings. She has very curly hair which she wears high on her head. She is displaying a half smile. The name of the photographer and the location of the studio are not listed on the photograph. This relatively close-up photograph has nice clarity and an unusual and interesting staging.   SOLD

Published in: on May 17, 2017 at 1:30 pm  Leave a Comment  

YOUNG UKRAINIAN MAN WEARING A LEATHER JACKET AND CAP

 

This cabinet card image is highly unusual. I have seen few photographs from this era where the sitter is wearing a leather jacket. This young man is wearing a leather jacket and a cap. The way he is dressed suggests that he may have been a member of the military or the police. However, he is wearing no insignias or badges. The previous owner of this photograph reported that the image was purchased in the Ukraine. The cabinet card is of Russian origin but I can not confirm it is Ukrainian. If one looks at the reverse of the cabinet card inside the egg shaped oval design, one can see the word “Mockba”. This Russian word means Moscow and it is my hypothesis that the mount was produced there.

Published in: on March 22, 2017 at 12:00 pm  Comments (2)  
Tags: , ,

PORTRAIT OF A WELL DRESSED SERIOUS OLDER WOMAN IN CAMDEN, MAINE

spinster-3

 

spinster-4

This vintage photograph features a portrait of a striking well dressed older woman. She is wearing a fancy dress, a boa, and leather gloves. She is also wearing jewelry including a necklace, watch, and earrings. Note her pretty, but very busy, hat. The woman is also wearing a very serious expression. She does not seem to be having a lot of fun having her portrait taken The photographer of this image is William V. Lane (1849-1903). He operated a studio in Camden, Maine.  He came to Camden and opened his gallery in 1883. He also had a branch gallery in Vinalhaven, Maine.  He resided in Camden for 15 years; and then moved to Boston, Massachusetts. While in Camden, Lane was the Chairman of the Board of Assessors and in that capacity, he promoted a new opera house in town.  He also served as the President of the Business Men’s Association and had a one year stint as Road Commissioner. To view other images by William Lane, click on the category “Photographer: Lane”.  This vintage photograph measures 5″ x 7″.

spinster-2

Published in: on February 18, 2017 at 12:00 pm  Comments (2)  
Tags: , ,

PORTRAIT OF AN ADORABLE LITTLE GIRL IN ST. DENIS, FRANCE

french-cdv

This carte de visite portrait features an adorable little girl holding a beach pail. Note the painting of a sailboat on the pail. She is wearing a dark dress with a white lace bib. She is wearing high top shoes. The little girl seems a bit intimidated by her photographic session. The photographer of this cdv image is R. Termoz and his studio was located in St. Denis, France. Saint-Denis is a town in the northern suburbs of Paris, France.  (SOLD)

french-cdv-1

Published in: on February 15, 2017 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
Tags: , , , ,

A PROFILE PORTRAIT OF A PRETTY WOMAN IN KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI (PHOTOGRAPHED BY A CIVIL WAR PHOTOGRAPHER)

kc-pro

This cabinet card photograph features a profile view of a pretty young woman. She is wearing a high collar blouse and jacket. The young lady’s hair is worn up in a sweep and she is wearing earrings. The photograph was produced by the Carpenter Photographic Rooms in Kansas City, Missouri. Marion S. Carpenter was a daguerreotypist in Dayton, Ohio in 1850. He than conducted his photography business in Cincinnati at the Palace Art Studio between 1857 and 1865. During the Civil War he was a staff photographer for the United States Government. He photographed Abraham Lincoln on three occasions. After the war he went to Kansas City, Missouri where he continued to operate a photography business. The Bulletin of Photography (1913) notes his passing at age 84 while living in Kansas City. The notification indicates that he was still actively involved in business in 1913, the year of his death.

kc-pro-1

Published in: on February 14, 2017 at 5:17 pm  Comments (3)  
Tags: , , ,

AN INCREDIBLY DAPPER YOUNG MAN IN MARIETTA, OHIO (1903)

dapper-guy

 

dapper-guy-1

This wonderful vintage photograph features a very dapper looking young man. He is dressed beautifully in his dark sport jacket and slacks and light vest. Note his large collar, wide tie and tie tac. His hat is worn on just the right angle and the brim is bent in just the right way. This “cool dude” has an expression that shouts “I am cool and ready for anything”. The photograph comes from the studio of Fisher and Graessle which was located in Marietta, Ohio. Harry Phillip Fisher (1879-1949) was born in Ohio and began his career working in his father’s shoe store. When his cousin, Carl Graessle, came to visit, Fisher’s career plans changed dramatically. Cousin Carl was a photographer in Cincinnati and the two cousins decided to open a photo studio in Marietta. They opened the studio in 1901 and it was located above the Fisher shoe store. The partnership dissolved in just two years and Graessle returned to Cincinnati. Fisher kept his photography business going until his retirement in 1949. He did portraits, landscapes, and photographed local events. His business included producing real photo postcards. A large collection (over 8,000 images) of his work is owned by Marietta College. Fisher was married to Daisy E. Fisher in 1906. He is buried in Oak Grove Cemetery in Marietta.  (SOLD)

dapper-guy-3

dapper-guy-2

 

Published in: on January 22, 2017 at 12:00 pm  Comments (3)  
Tags: , , ,

PORTRAIT OF TWO YOUNG SISTERS HOLDING HANDS

 

two-kis

 

two-kis-2

This wonderful vintage real photo postcard features a portrait of two pretty young girls. They are dressed beautifully and are wearing identical skirts and scarves. It seems likely that they are sisters. The girls are holding hands. They are wearing gloves and one of the girls is holding a purse. They are both flashing half smiles. They are standing in front of a studio’s backdrop of a forest. The studio and the children are unidentified.

two-kis-1

Published in: on January 16, 2017 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
Tags:

PORTRAIT OF A YOUNG WEDDING COUPLE IN ROSEDALE, INDIANA

baldridge

This cabinet card portrait captures a young couple on their wedding day, or at least in their wedding clothing. They are dressed beautifully for their special day. The bride is wearing a garland of flowers.  Her white gloves are draped over the wicker chair and she is holding her hat. The bride is pretty and appears somewhat happy as she poses for this photograph. Her new husband wears an expression that looks like he either ate too much at his wedding, or that he is having second thoughts about getting married. Lets hope he just overate. The photographer of this wedding portrait is W. A. Baldridge (1860-1924) who operated a photo studio in Rosedale, Indiana. He is listed in the 1880 US Census as living in Florida, Indiana and working as a clerk. The 1920 US Census finds Baldridge living in Summit, Ohio and operating a photography business.   SOLD

Published in: on January 14, 2017 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
Tags: , , , , , ,

PORTRAIT OF A STRIKING WOMAN IN EUGENE, OREGON

striking-woman

The young woman in this post cabinet card era photograph is strikingly attractive. She has wonderful eyes. She appears to be a teenager. The striking young lady is wearing a high collared and ruffled dress as well as a necklace. The photograph was taken at the Winter Photo Company in Eugene, Oregon. The photographer, John A. Winter was born in Ohio sometime around 1831. He was active in the photography business in Eugene between 1864 and 1869, and again between 1873 and 1900. During his career he also operated photography businesses in Albany, Brownsville, and Jefferson; all towns in Oregon.In 1864 he advertised that he intended to “devote his whole time to making pictures”. In 1865 he began his career operating photographic studios. A number of times during his career he was plagued with poor health. At one point he owned a sheep ranch in addition to a photography studio. Winter employed the bartering system in his business. One of his ads promises to trade portrait taking for firewood. From 1888 to 1900, Winter was the photographer of Oregon State University. Winter’s son, Clarence L. Winter was a photographer in Eugene between 1891 and 1906. However, a letter from C. L. Winter appears in the Photographic Times (1887) indicating that he likely began working in Eugene earlier than the aforementioned date. It is not clear whether John A. Winter or Clarence L. Winter is the photographer who produced the picture of this lovely young woman. Perusing the Cabinet Card Gallery’s collection of photographs by Mr Winter, it is clear that he had photographic talent. This photograph measures about 4 1/4″ x 4 1/2″. To view other photographs by Winter, click on the category “Photographer: Winter”.  (SOLD)

striking-woman-1

Published in: on November 26, 2016 at 12:00 pm  Comments (3)  
Tags: , , ,

“LITTLE MAY SABRINI”: PORTRAIT OF A CHILD ACTRESS IN ESCANABA, MICHIGAN

escanaba

This cabinet card portrait features a poised little girl posing behind a chair. She appears to be wearing a costume and is standing on a prop to gain some extra height. She appears to be an actress and an inscription on the reverse of the photograph supports that hypotheses. The inscription states “Little May Sabrini as Eva” and lists the girl’s age as 7 years old. The Stewart & Lokke (Oscar) studio produced this photograph and The Directory of Early Michigan Photographers lists the pair as conducting their photography business in Escanaba in 1890. The town of Escanaba was involved in some pretty interesting protective business practices focused on helping local photographers. The Bulletin of Photography (1913) reports on an interesting law passed by the city council in Escanaba. The politicians decided to charge itinerant photographers for coming to town and conducting business. Traveling photographers who took pictures in the town’s street were charged 1 dollar for their first days work and fifty cents each day thereafter. Photographers who used tents or temporary quarters were charged two dollars for the first day and a dollar for each successive day. If a traveling photographer used flash photography, a fee of five dollars for the first day and two dollars for each day thereafter was required. Any photographer that did not comply with the law would be subject to at least a hundred dollar fine or up to sixty days in the county jail. I wonder what it cost the local photographers to encourage city council to pass such an unfair trade law to discourage visits from itinerant photographers.

escanaba-1

Published in: on October 19, 2016 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
Tags: ,
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »