This cabinet card is a portrait of a pretty feathered woman. It is probably misleading to call her a feathered woman, when in fact, it is her dress and hat that is covered with feathers. She is certainly wearing a creative, albeit, odd dress, especially since the photograph was made pre “Big Bird”. The photographer was A. N. Blanchard, and he was located on State Street, in Montpelier, Vermont. Azel Norman Blanchard (1843-1923) was a Civil War veteran who was a member of the 1st US Sharpshooters (Co. F). He established a photography business in Barre, Vermont, in 1865 and moved to Montpelier where he established a studio in 1880. Research reveals that his photography business was listed in the Montpelier directories of 1883 and 1887. He was buried in Green Mountain Cemetery, in Montpelier.
FEATHERED LADY OF MONTPELIER, VERMONT
FASHIONABLE WOMAN IN OXFORD, MICHIGAN
This Cabinet Card is an image of a fashionable woman. She clearly decided to wear one of her finest dresses and her favorite hat for her photograph session at the Art Studio of R. S. Schuyler, in Oxford, Michigan. The woman is wearing wire rim glasses and one glove. She is holding the second glove in her gloved hand. She is also holding something else in the gloved hand. Hopefully, a visitor to the Cabinet Card Gallery, will be able to identify the article she is holding along with the glove. Why is she wearing just one glove? Perhaps, she wants the photograph to show the ring that she is wearing on the middle finger of her ungloved hand.
CROSS DRESSER IN MONTEZUMA, IOWA (AND SO IS LOLA)
The previous owner of this cabinet card believed that the woman in the image may be a man. Perhaps the jacket and tie that she is wearing is the predominant evidence that she/he is a cross dresser. I am not very convinced that the subject of this photograph is a man, but it certainly is a possibility. Never forget the wise words of the well respected group of philosophers known as the Kinks; “Well I’m not the world’s most masculine man, but I know what I am, and I’m glad I’m a man, so is Lola”. An interesting side note is that the photographer of this image, Will C. Fryatt, is responsible for a number of other unusual photographs taken at his studio in Montezuma, Iowa. It is entirely possible that Fryatt never took the photograph, but instead, bought the rights to sell it at his studio. There is also a possibility that the individual in this image is an actor/actress from a touring theatre company. Another mystery that this cabinet card presents is as follows: Why does a town in Iowa get named after an Aztec Emperor of Mexico? Stay tuned, research is in progress. A visitor to the cabinet card gallery commented that the woman in this cabinet card looked very much like male impersonator, Ella Wesner (1851-1917) who was popular in the 1880’s. She was a part of the Gilded Age vaudeville circuit. You can view an image of Miss Wesner below. The assertion that the portraits of the two women in these photographs look similar, is very true. Do you think that they are one and the same person?
TWO HOTEL MAIDS IN CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE
This occupational cabinet card features two women posing with supplies of their trade. The women are likely hotel maids, or house servants. One maid is holding a broom, while the other is holding a glass and what appears to be, a clean towel. The photographer of this image is F. A. Dow of Concord, New Hampshire.
PRETTY WOMAN HOLDING A PRETTY FAN, IN WERSCHETZ, SERBIA
A pretty woman poses for photographer, Ivan Rigyitsky in Werschetz. Werschetz (German name) is a town in Serbia. It is known as Vrsac in Serbia. The town has been under the rule of several different governments over modern times. It was once part of Austria-Hungary. This image has some interesting features. The woman is dressed very fashionably and she is holding an open beautiful fan. Note the lovely scene pictured on the fan. The young lady has a nice figure, with the help of a corset, no doubt.
WOMAN WEARING MASSIVE FUR COLLAR IN SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
A young woman poses for her photograph at Cobb’s Dore Gallery in San Francisco, California. The woman appears to have a live animal wrapped around her neck, but instead, she’s actually wearing a very intense fur collar. If she was living in modern day San Francisco, she would be a likely target for a lecture, or a paint job, from a PETA member. David Cobb was the proprietor of the Dore Gallery (1881-1889) at the time this photograph was produced. Prior to operating the Dore Gallery, he was a partner in the Edouart & Cobb studio, which was also located in San Francisco. To see other images by Cobb, click on the category “Photographer: Edouart & Cobb”.
PRETTY FRESHMAN CONGRESSMAN’S WIFE IN WASHINGTON D. C.
The pretty lady in the beaded dress is a congressman’s wife. Her husband is one of the freshman congressmen that just arrived in Washington D. C. to begin their term. They come to our capitol city flush with hopes of fulfilling their unrealistic campaign promises. It won’t take long for these new lawmakers to figure out that their main focus will be to devise ways to stay in office. Anyway, the lady in this photograph is filled with excitement. She has come to Washington with a different agenda than her idealistic husband. She is looking forward to the teas and the gala events that are so popular in this social city. She is preparing to meet the First Lady. That will be a real treat. Frances Folsom Cleveland is warm and beautiful. Her marriage to Grover Cleveland is quite the story. Grover Cleveland was the law partner of Frances Folsom’s father and knew Frances since her infancy. When Folsom died, Cleveland was the executor of his estate and he oversaw Frances’s mothers finances, as well as Frances’s education. After a scandal in which Cleveland was accused of fathering an illegitimate child; he proposed to Frances. She needed time to consider his offer and left for a European tour which included some considering. She returned to America and accepted his marriage proposal. They married in the White House, and she, at age twenty-one, became the youngest First Lady in American history. Anyway, the fine looking lady in this photograph went to G. W. Davis, to have this image taken. Davis has a studio at 925 Pennsylvania Avenue, in Washington D. C.. He also has a studio in Richmond, Virginia. Here comes the moment of truth. Everything written in this blog entry is accurate with just one exception. That exception concerns the identity of the woman in this photograph. As far as I know, she is not a congressman’s wife. Her true identity has been lost to history.
BEAUTIFUL SISTERS IN GENEVA, NEW YORK
Two beautiful young woman pose for their portrait. Lillian and Ella look so much like sisters that it is possible that they may have been twins. The photographers name and location were excised by a previous owner of this cabinet card who trimmed it to fit into an album or frame. Fortunately the reverse of the photograph reveals that the photographer of the image was named Vail. Research provides further information. John P Vail (1836-?) was the photographer and he operated out of Geneva, New York. Vail’s father was a farmer and Vail stayed on the family farm until age twenty. In 1859 he went to Penn Yan and learned the art of photography. From 1860 until 1871 he ran a photography business in Palmyra, New York. He then moved to Geneva where he owned a nursery for four years and in 1876 opened a photographic gallery there.
ANNIE L’ETILLE POSES FOR HER PORTRAIT IN BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS (1878)
A pretty young woman, named Annie L’Etille, poses for her portrait at famed Boston portrait photographer Warren’s studio (465 Washington Street). The photographer was George K Warren. Judging by the size of the cross that she is wearing around her neck; she appears to be making a religious statement. The reverse of the card has a notation that indicates that Annie later became Annie L’Etille Peamate (possibly Peamite). The photograph is dated 1878. To view other photographs by the Warren’s studio, click on category “Photographer: Warren”.
HOW MANY YOUNG WOMEN FROM OSHKOSH WISCONSIN CAN FIT INTO A CABINET CARD IMAGE? (ANSWER: 11)
This cabinet card is not particularly artistic or in very good condition. In addition, the subjects in the photograph are not particularly striking. What makes this cabinet card interesting is that it is a portrait that fits eleven young women in the image. This photograph is a cabinet card version of the “how many clowns can you fit into a compact car?” circus act. The photographic studio responsible for this image is Luck & Dye of Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Research reveals that the two men were partners in 1895 and operated out of two locations in Oshkosh. They were headquartered at 49 Main Street and 780 Oregon Street. Tobias Luck was a photographer in Oshkosh between 1889 and 1920 while Albertus Dye operated in Oshkosh between 1889 and 1910.
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 