This vintage real photo postcard provides a view of fashion sometime slightly after 1900. The ladies clearly dressed up for their visit to the photo gallery. Note the women’s wonderful large hats. Be sure to take notice of the large pins extending from the hat on the right. This postcard is printed on AZO paper issued between 1904 and 1918.
PHOTO 2 (SOLD)
PHOTO 2 (CLOSE-UP) SOLD
The top vintage photographic portrait features an absolutely beautiful little girl with a charming smile. The second photo provides a closeup view of the child. She has long loose curls and a pretty matching dress and hat. An inscription on the reverse of the photograph identifies the young girl as Madge Wyllie and the date of the photograph as 1902. It was very difficult to uncover information about Miss Wyllie until I stumbled across a wedding announcement in the Chicago Tribune (9/11/02) pertaining to her sister. It was reported that “Miss Madge Wyllie was flower girl and wore a gown of white point d’espirit over silk” at her sister Edith’s wedding. It is interesting to note that Madge was flower girl the same year she sat for this photograph. The article also reported that Madge’s father was H. D. Wyllie. Learning her father’s name opened genealogical doors wide enough to garner more helpful information. H. D. Wyllie was actually Hubert D. Wyllie who was an English born engineer living in Chicago with his wife and many children (at least seven). One of these children was Margery Rose Wyllie, otherwise known as Madge. Madge was born in 1890 so she was about twelve years old when she posed for this photograph. The 1910 census found her living with her family of origin in Chicago and unemployed. She married Walter Crossett Barber. She died in 1983 and is buried in Naperville Cemetery in Naperville, Illinois. This photograph was taken by the J. Edgar Waters studio in Chicago, Illinois. About a year after I originally posted this photograph, I came into possession of another Water’s photograph of this same young lady (see the third, fourth, and fifth image above). Amazingly enough, the two photographs found each other and are now exhibited together in the Cabinet Card Gallery. The newly found vintage photograph features an attractive young woman taking a bow for the camera. She is beautifully dressed and her hair is well coiffed. She is wearing two necklaces, a feather in her hair, and is holding an open fan. Note the handkerchief on the floor. She seems well poised and may be an actress. This photograph was taken by J. Edgar Waters at his studio in Chicago Illinois. Once again, the reverse of the image is inscribed with the name “Madge Wyllie” and dated “1902”. Madge is a brunette in one photograph and a blonde in the other photograph. I believe that she is wearing a blonde wig in the second image. It is interesting to note that she is wearing the same shoes in both photographs. Waters was an excellent photographer. To learn more about the photographer and to view more of his photographs, click on the category “Photographer: Waters”.
This vintage photograph features a handsome young man photographed by E. N. Kerr who operated a photographic studio in Lincoln, Illinois. The young man’s hair is well styled and he is dressed in fine clothing. Ernest N. Kerr (1866-1954) appears as a photographer in the Bloomington, Illinois business directory issue of 1893. From at least 1905 through 1913 he is included in the Rock Island business directory as a photographer. He and his wife, Carrie Clute Kerr are buried in the Evergreen Cemetery in El Paso, Illinois. 
The photographer of this wonderful vintage photograph is J. Edgar Waters who operated a studio in Chicago, Illinois. The three children seen in this image are wearing harlequin costumes. Harlequin was the best known of the comic servant characters from the “Italian Commedia dell’arte. The character was introduced in the late 16th century and represents a light heartedness and even devilish (trickster) nature. Overtime the character took on more of a romantic role. Photographer J. Edgar Waters wrote an article for a business magazine. “The Magazine of Business” (1915) contains an article entitled “The One-Man Business”. In the article, Waters provides practical advice about business record keeping. To learn more about this photographer and to view more of his photographs, click on the category “Photographer: Waters”.
British stage actress, Cissy Grahame is the subject of this portrait by the famed London photographic studio W. & D. Downey. She looks quite beautiful in her lace scarf and feathered hat. Grahame was born in 1862. She was the daughter of an actress and she took her first stage role at the age of thirteen. Three years later she was hired to the stage by Mr. Wilson Barrett and soon thereafter by the Kendal’s. As she progressed in her theatrical career she added theatre management to her repertoire. To view other photographs by the Downey studio, click on the category “Photographer: Downey”.
Julius A. Kay is the photographer who took this portrait of a domestic worker in Southport, England. She is attractive and wearing a fine housekeepers uniform. It seems apparent that she worked for a wealthy family. Mr Kay’s name is cited in a number of professional photography journals of his time. In addition, his work is mentioned in a medical book, Practical Radiograph: A Handbook of the Application of the X-Rays” (1896). Mr. Kay helped radiograph a hand with a supernumerary thumb (extra bone structure) which surgeons of a local infirmary were able to use to see the exact bone formation of the area. They were able to employ the radiograph image to make a decision about the necessity of amputation. ADDENDUM: A viewer of this image has expressed a strong opinion that the woman in this photograph is a nurse, and not a housekeeper. SOLD
This spectacular vintage real photo postcard features a pretty young woman posed as a seller of theatrical masks. Note the detail of the facial features of each mask. The masks are absolutely beautiful, as is their purveyor. This RPPC was produced by celebrated French artist Albert Bergeret (1859-1932) and published in Nancy, France. Included in Bergeret’s body of work is his series “Women of the Future”. In 1902 he designed a series of postcards depicting women at work in traditionally male professions. Seen below are some examples of these cards. We see a journalist and a soldier. Other cards included a physician, lawyer, and a military general. Bergeret was no feminist. In fact, many of his depictions in the series involved women in skimpy clothing. The pictures were more like pin-ups than a call for equal employment rights for women. Bergeret was a successful businessman. His studio became the leading postcard producer in France. In 1900 he produced 25 million cards and by 1903 he published 75 million postcards. He knew how to grow a business.
WOMEN OF THE FUTURE 
WOMEN OF THE FUTURE
REVERSE OF THE MERCHANT OF THE MASKS POSTCARD
A teenage girl poses for her portrait at the J. Garratt studio in Dewsbury. Where is Dewsbury? There are a number of towns sharing that name but Garratt’s Dewsbury is in England. John Garratt had studios in Dewsbury and West Town. He is cited in the Journal of Photography (1877) and in the British Journal of Photography (1880 and 1881). Next to Garratt”s name is the phrase “From Saronys” and the phrase is printed above the word “Scarbro”. Is there a connection between Mr. Garratt and Napoleon Sarony? At first I thought that Garratt might have worked for the celebrated photographer in New York City, Napoleon Sarony. Preliminary research provided me with an answer. “Scarbro” is an abbreviation for Scarborough, a town in North Yorkshire, England. A well known and commercially successful photographer in Scarborough was a man named Oliver Sarony. His studio had 98 rooms and at one point he had 110 employees. He was born in Quebec in 1820 and he came to England in 1843. He worked as a photographer in several English towns until he settled in Scarborough in 1857. He died in 1879. The business continued into the 20th century under the name Sarony & Co. The business was initially managed by Samuel Waind Fisher the husband of Oliver’s niece, Jennie. Interestingly Jennie was the daughter of Napoleon Sarony. To make a long story longer, it certainly appears that John Garratt was once employed by Oliver Sarony.
This cabinet card portrait features a young woman with dark eyes and long curly hair. She appears to be in her teens. She projects a serious demeanor as she looks at the camera. Preliminary research found some information about the Sword Brothers contained in “The History of York County Pennsylvania” (1907). William H. and George A. Swords were partners in a photography firm in York, Pennsylvania. William was born in Maytown, Pennsylvania in 1865. He learned the photography trade in Columbia, Pennsylvania and then established a studio in York. For a time, he was the junior partner in a firm called Pentz & Swords. In 1889 he partnered with his brother George. William had two marriages. He was widowed in his marriage to Adelaide Doffler and then married Jennie Fassett. William Swords was born in Maytown in 1860. He began his photography career working with a photographer named Jefferies and later bought out Mr. Pentz to become his brother’s partner. In 1885 George married Jennie Wampler. SOLD
This vintage real photo postcard features a very pretty woman with a wonderful smile and luminous eyes. She is beautifully dressed and adorned by a necklace and flowers. Note her attracive and very detailed headpiece. The image is colored (hand tinted) and numbered (23) so is obviously part of a series. The name “Watteau” is scripted on the bottom right hand corner of the postcard. My preliminary research could not ascertain whether “Watteau” is the name of the beautiful model seen in this image or if it’s the name of the photographer. My hunch is that it is the name of the model. The reverse of this RPPC is blank, save lines for an address. Therefore, the publisher of this postcard is unknown. (SOLD)
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 