A fashionable young woman holding a flower poses for her photographic portrait at the J. H. Steiner studio in Jersey City, New Jersey. She is wearing earrings and rings. She appears to be wearing a corset judging by her shapely figure. Her ethnic origin is unknown but it is unlikely that her family came to America on the Mayflower.
This cabinet card features a portrait of a young woman named Nellie Casper (possibly Cooper). Her name is known because an inscription on the reverse of the photograph states it. The inscription is addressed to “Mrs. John”. The inscriptions continues to say that this was a “dear friend of our mother”. The inscription is signed “Jennie Coad”. In my opinion, Nellie is wearing a dress that looks very futuristic. In fact, she could have worn it on an episode of “Star Trek”. The style of the pearl lined collar and the dress’s shoulder are very futuristic. Nellie is also wearing a very big corsage. Initial genealogical research was not productive but someone willing to accept the challenge may have better luck. To learn more about the photographer, W. M. Cherrington, and to view more of his photographs, click on the category “Photographer: Cherrington”.
This interesting cabinet card features a woman wearing a very unusual dress. The dress’s pattern can be described as psychedelic. Some would call the pattern paisley. One wonders if the woman’s dress really looked this way or if an artist colored the photograph while knocking off a bottle of whiskey. Another theory is that the subject woke up the morning of her appointment at the photographer and realized she had nothing to wear. In an act of desperation, she wore the living room drapes. Before I conjecture further, I want to call for assistance from the cabinet card gallery’s research department. Perhaps one of the several fashion savvy cabinet card gallery visitors can share their informed opinion about this woman’s attire. I shouldn’t call her “this woman” because I know her name. An inscription on the reverse of the photograph reveals that her name is Sarah Goodwin and that the cabinet card photo was taken in 1892. The 1880 US census finds a Sarah Goodwin living in Ware, Massachusetts. This is a town 24 miles away from Knowlton Brothers studio in Northampton. At the time of this photograph, Miss Goodwin was twenty nine years-old and working in a cotton mill. She was the third of five children born to Steven and Mary Goodwin. Sarah was born in 1863 in England, which was also the birthplace of her parents.
The woman in this photograph is quite pretty.The photographer, J. R. Pearson, chose to pose her for a profile view. Pearson’s studio was located In Pittsburgh, Pensylvania. An inscription on the reverse of the cabinet card has an inscription which identifies the subject as “Sheila Pape”. The subjects first name was not easy to decipher so it is possible that “Sheila” is not the correct name.
This cabinet card portrait captures a pretty young woman with a sweet smile. She is wearing a white dress and jewelry including a collar pin and earrings. Note the length of her long dark hair. The photograph was produced by the Bushby and Macurdy Studio which was located in Boston, Massachusetts. To learn more about photographers Asa Bushby and George Macurdy and to view more of their photographs, click on the category “Photographer: Bushby & Macurdy”.
A lovely young woman poses for her profile portrait in Derby, Connecticut. It is clear from the image that the subject took some pains to prepare her hair for her day at the photography studio. The photograph has been trimmed so the photographer’s name is not identifiable.
This cabinet card photograph features a pretty young woman with long hair draped over her right shoulder. The image was produced by the Neal Brothers studio in Keota, Iowa. The Milwaukee Journal (1949) has an article about Edwin E. Neal who took over the Keota studio in 1888 and operated it until 1948. It is written that he only used one camera throughout his career. He did change lenses several times as advances were made in the field of photography. Neal’s wife assisted him with photo finishing, posing subjects, and running the business. At some point in his career, according to a different source, Edwin worked in partnership with his brother Charles. To view other photographs by Edwin Neal, click on the category “Photographer: Neal”.
This cabinet card portrait features a wide-eyed young lady with curly bangs. One might posit that she was in her teen years when photographed by Harvey A. Lesure in Danbury, Connecticut. His studio is listed in business directories at 207 Main Street from 1885 through 1887. In 1888 and 1889 his studio was located at 247 Main Street.
This cabinet card portrait features a smiling young woman wearing unusual attire. Is she wearing a uniform? If her clothing is a uniform, is she wearing it for work or is she part of a sports team? Note that her cap matches her jacket and that the style of her blouse is atypical for the cabinet card era. Hopefully, some cabinet card gallery’s visitors will leave a comment speculating or informing the rest of us about the fashion worn in this photograph. The Hawkins studio, located in Montpelier, Ohio, produced this image. Research reveals that there was a photographer in Montpelier named George B. Hawkins. At some point, there was a studio in Montpelier called Hawkins & Marsh. It is likely that George Hawkins once partnered with Mr. Marsh. The reverse of the cabinet card has an inscription which states “Cousin to Marian” and “Kelly-girl”. Clearly, the subject of this portrait is a cousin to Marian and it is likely that the subject’s last name is “Kelly”. The term “Kelly-girl” took a different meaning many years after this photograph was taken. In 1946, Russell Kelly started a business providing temporary employees to local Detroit businesses. His employees called themselves “Kelly Girls” to distinguish themselves from their temporary office coworkers. Russell Kelly’s novel business idea gave birth to the modern staffing business. SOLD
A pretty woman poses for her portrait at the studio of John H. Ryder in Cleveland, Ohio. The subject is wearing a collar pin, earrings, and a interesting patterned dress. John H. Ryder (aka Jack) was a daguerreotype artist and photographer active on and off in Cleveland from the late 1850’s until his death in 1898. He was born in New York around 1832. After working with his older brother James F Ryder (1826-1904) for many years, he opened his own studio in 1884. John Ryder found a diversion from his photography career during his days of working for his brother. Some time around 1864 he went on a series of tours with humorist Charles F. Browne who was known on the lecture series as Artemus Ward”. Ryder served as Browne’s agent and manager. A photograph of Browne can be found below.
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 