This is a particularly nice cabinet card photograph for a couple of reasons. First, the photographer has captured the loving and protective emotions of the older sister toward her baby sister. Second, the photographer did an excellent job of photographing the children (dressed in white) against a dark background. The intimacy that the older child feels for the younger, is obvious in this image. Big sister has one arm wrapped around her sibling’s shoulder. She is also holding the baby’s hand. The photographer of this cabinet card portrait is Oliver C. Kough. He operated a studio in Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania. Oliver was born in Pennsylvania in 1873. He attended public school until he was twelve years old, whereupon he joined his father working in the mines. He received a number of promotions during the several years he worked the mines. In 1893, he decided that he wanted a different job and he went to Uniontown, Pennsylvania, and received training and worked in a photo studio. At some point in his time at Uniontown, he partnered with a photographer with the last name of Leeper. Kaugh then opened his gallery in Mount Pleasant and operated the business until 1901. His next job move was to return to Uniontown where he took over the studio of McClellan Leonard. Kough was a member of the National, State, and County photographer associations. He was married to Ella Kaugh (1897). The Bulletin of Photography (1912) reveals that Kough had a tragic accident “when attempting to make a flashlight” of a fraternal group at their lodge. As he was about to set off the powder, there was a blinding flash in his face which resulted in him losing his sight in both eyes. How could such a devastating accident happen? Apparently, Kough was using flash powder, a mixture of magnesium powder and potassium chlorate. This technique was introduced by German inventors in 1887. A measured amount of powder would be placed in a pan and ignited by hand, resulting in a brief brilliant flash of light. This explosive event produced both smoke and noise. This method of producing a flash could be life threatening, especially if the powder was damp. This photo is in very good condition (see scans). (SOLD)
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 