TWO YOUNG DANDIES AND AN OPEN BOOK

This vintage real photo postcard features two young dandies viewing an open book. They are exquisitely dressed and look like perfect gentlemen. A script of their dialog is printed below the image. Bacarel states to Paul, “A superb point of view”. Paul responds “What an enchanting landscape”. The men are seated on outdoor furniture. The fabric of the chairs present a nice checkered pattern. In the distance are snowy mountain caps. This postcard image is from a studio, yet creates a pretty scene. The postcard is addressed to a central French town named Mezieres en Brenne. The postcard was published by “AS”. I have no exact  identification of this company. Possibilities include “Alfred Schweizer” (Hamburg, Germany), Arthur Schurer & Company (Schoneberg, Germany), or A. Scheers (Brussels, Belgium). The postcard is part of a series (no. 747,  no. 3228).

ADDENDUM : A viewer from New Zealand has provided more information about this postcard. He has advised me that this image is a scene from the operetta “Miss Helyett”. He adds that the ‘point de vue’ is the heroine fell over a cliff and displayed ‘what only a husband should see’.

Published in: on March 24, 2017 at 7:09 pm  Comments (2)  
Tags:

TINTYPE PORTRAIT OF TWO WELL DRESSED PRETTY WOMEN

This tintype portrait features two well dressed young women wearing fancy hats. The ladies are quite pretty. They are well adorned with jewelry. They seem unusually relaxed while having their photograph taken. I would love to know their story. This image is the second tintype to appear in the Cabinet Card Gallery. A tintype, also known as ferrotype, is a photograph made on a thin sheet of metal coated with a dark lacquer or enamel. They were very popular during the 1860’s and 1870’s.

Published in: on March 23, 2017 at 12:00 pm  Comments (2)  
Tags:

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: , ,

UNUSUAL POST MORTEM PHOTOGRAPH FROM SCHWABACH, GERMANY

This post mortem cabinet card image features an older bearded man partially covered with flowers. The card on the bottom right hand corner of the image likely has the words of a prayer or a religious reading. The image has amazing clarity. The deceased gentleman is lying at an unusual angle. The photographer of this cabinet card image is the Kandel studio which was located in Schwabach, Germany. The town is near Nuremberg and in the center of the Franconia region in North Bavaria. Hopefully, visitors to the Cabinet Card Gallery will not find this image offensive. Photographs of deceased family members were commonplace during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in America and Europe. The images helped surviving loved ones through the grieving process. In addition, sometimes the post mortem photographs were the only images possessed by the deceased’s family. (SOLD)

Published in: on March 13, 2017 at 7:18 pm  Comments (4)  
Tags: , ,

PORTRAIT OF A LAPLANDER SAMI FAMILY

This vintage real photo postcard falls into the ethnographic category. This interesting image features a family in Lapland. The area of  Lapland is located in Finland’s northernmost region. It is sparsely populated and is the homeland of the indigenous Sami people. The Sami’s pursue coastal fishing, fur trapping, and sheep herding. However, they are most known for their work as semi-nomadic reindeer herders. The reindeer are utilized for meat, fur, and transportation. The family seen in this photograph is part of the Sami people. There is much to note in this photograph. Take a look at the family’s clothing. Perusing the picture one can also see the family dog, animal skins, reindeer antlers and fur covered shoes. Be sure not to miss viewing the baby in a papoose like bed. This postcard was published by Enerett Mittet & Company and is part of a series (no. 1/98). The residue on the back side of this vintage postcard reveals that it once was a resident of a photo album.

ADDENDUM: An informed visitor left a comment (seen below) that offers a correction to my description of this postcard. She states “Enerett is not the publisher’s given name. Enerett, and you can translate this online from Norwegian – is “All rights reserved.” The Norwegian publisher Mittet & Co. was started by Ingebrigt Mittet (1875 – 1950) and carried on and expanded by his sons Knut and Søren.” I am very appreciative of this visitor’s willingness to share her knowledge on this blog.   SOLD

Published in: on March 12, 2017 at 12:00 pm  Comments (6)  
Tags: , , ,

POTRAIT OF AN AFRICAN AMERICAN FAMILY STANDING IN FRONT OF THEIR HOUSE IN THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY

This vintage photograph offers a glimpse into Texas history and African American history in the Lone Star state. The image features an African American family posing for the camera while standing in front of their house. I found this photograph in Fredericksburg, Texas. The town is located in the Texas hill country and is very close to Johnson City, Texas, the boyhood home of former President Lyndon Baines Johnson. A tour of the area reveals similar houses still standing today. This photograph was very likely taken in that locale. The family seen in this image is composed of a father and mother, and their two sons. All four family members are dressed in their sunday best clothing and wearing hats. The family’s dog is included in the picture and even their cat makes a cameo appearance as it walks away from the front porch. This is truly an interesting and historic photograph.   (SOLD)

PORTRAIT OF GERTRUDE BONNETTE: PRETTY FRENCH STAGE ACTRESS

This vintage real photo postcard features French stage actress Gertrude Bonnette. Initial research revealed no information about this pretty theater actress. Bonnette was photographed by the well known celebrity photographer Jacob Schloss (1856-1938) of New York City. Schloss was will known for his portraits of beautiful woman. He was also known as a photographer activist for working hard to gain certain rights for photographers. This photo postcard is published by Societe Industrielle de Photograpie (SIP) of Rueil, France and is part of a series (76 Serie no. 15).

YOU CAN TRUST YOUR CAR TO THE MAN THAT WEARS THE STAR: INCREDIBLE PORTRAIT OF THE INTERIOR OF A WORKING TEXACO GAS STATION

This fantastic photograph provides a look into the interior of a gas station from days gone by. The Texaco Motor Oil cans reveal that we are seeing the inside of a Texaco gas station. A few of the items in the sales showcase can be identified. One can readily see Rustone Cans (rust preventative), flares, and glass cleaner. Is that a cash register on the counter? Next to the register, a cardboard advertising sign promotes a brand of glass cleaner. An advertising calendar hangs on the wall and it provides some interesting information. First, the calendar reveals that this photo was taken in 1942. Secondly, print on the bottom of the calendar reveals that the calendar is advertising a Minnesota company. Therefore, this gas station’s location was probably Minnesota. The people in this photo include the uniformed gas station attendant/mechanic/owner and two woman. One can posit that the older woman may be the pictured gentleman’s wife and the younger woman, his daughter. Note the tire pressure gauge in the man’s shirt pocket. This photograph was taken during difficult times. The United States was involved in World War II and gas rationing began in 1942, the year that this photograph was taken. (SOLD)

Published in: on March 9, 2017 at 3:31 pm  Comments (3)  
Tags: , , ,

ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL YOUNG WOMAN IN BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

I do not think it is an exaggeration to state that the young woman seen in this cabinet card portrait, is exquisitely beautiful. She is well dressed and well coiffed. She has lace at her collar and at the bottom of her sleeves. Her hair was meticulously prepared for this portrait. She is wearing star earrings and a ring. She is holding a folded fan decorated with feathers. John L. McCormick and his partner Sumner B. Heald (1835-1900) operated the Boston studio that produced this excellent portrait. Both McCormick and Heald are no strangers to the Cabinet Card Gallery. The two photographers have a number of photographs in the gallery that can be accessed by placing their last name in the site’s search box. Take a look at their work and learn a little bit more about McCormick and Heald. Interestingly, Heald supervised the portrait studio operated by famed Boston photographer, George K. Warren (1824-1884). Warren also has a large presence in the Cabinet Card Gallery. Heald oversaw the celebrity and theatrical portraits produced by the Warren Studio.   SOLD

PORTRAIT OF THREE OLD TIME BASEBALL PLAYERS (VINTAGE REAL PHOTO POSTCARD)

Welcome to Mudville. This vintage real photo postcard features three uniformed baseball players. The young men are wearing the uniform of St. Joseph school. Two of the players are wearing fielding gloves and the player in the middle is equipped with a catcher’s glove. The ball players appear to be standing on a ball field in front of empty bleachers. The AZO stamp box on the reverse of this photo postcard indicates that the postcard was published sometime between 1926 and the 1940’s.  SOLD

Published in: on March 7, 2017 at 9:02 pm  Leave a Comment  
Tags: , ,