PAULINE HALL (1860-1919): BEAUTIFUL MUSICAL THEATRE STAR

CABINET CARD 1

CABINET CARD 2 (SOLD)

CABINET CARD 3   (SOLD)

pauline hall                       CABINET CARD 4   (SOLD)

The top cabinet card features Pauline Hall (1860-1919), one of the most popular turn of the century prima donnas. She began her career as a dancer in Cincinnati, Ohio at age 15. She joined the Alice Oats Opera Company but left to tour in plays with famed actress Mary Anderson. By 1880, she worked for well known producer Edward Everett Rice in musical productions. Early in their association, he gave her a role in “Evangeline”. Her shapely figure allowed her to take male roles as she did in “Ixion” (1885). Her greatest success came in the title role of the first American production of  “Erminie” (1886). She played in more than two dozen Broadway operettas. Her final role was in the “Gold Diggers” (1919). This photograph was taken by famed celebrity photographer, Elmer Chickering of Boston, Massachusetts. Other photographs by Chickering can be seen by clicking on Cabinet Card Gallery’s category of “Photographer: Chickering, E.”.

The second cabinet card, photographed by B. J. Falk, of New York City, captures Pauline Hall in stage costume. The photograph is #305 in a series from Newsboy. The tobacco company (Newsboy) gave away cabinet cards as a premium with the purchase of their products. This cabinet card shows a copyright date in the 1890’s. The exact date has become illegible over time. (SOLD)

The third cabinet card portrait was also photographed by Falk. Ms. Hall looks quite beautiful in this image. She is wearing earrings and an interesting hat. The photograph is a bit risque. Much of her neck and shoulders are exposed. In addition, her dress accentuates and reveals significant cleavage. Is the material at the base of her scoop neckline part of her dress; or was it added in order to make the photograph less provocative? Perhaps a visitor to the cabinet card gallery will be able to provide an explanation.  SOLD

The fourth cabinet card image, once again photographed by B J Falk, features Miss Hall wearing a dark dress, long gloves, a lovely hat, and a purse. Pauline Hall certainly was a stage beauty as attested by this photograph.  SOLD

Published in: on July 11, 2015 at 7:44 pm  Comments (4)  
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PORTRAIT OF A PRETTY WOMAN IN VIENNA, AUSTRIA BY PROMINENT PHOTOGRAPHER JOSEF LOWY

Scan

This cabinet card photograph features a well dressed and pretty woman displaying a beautiful smile. She also has beautiful eyes. The woman is photographed by J.Lowy who operated a studio in Vienna, Austria. A notation on the reverse of the cabinet card (see image below) indicates that the photograph was taken in 1904. The former owner of this vintage image contends that the woman in the photograph was an actress. I can not confirm that she was a stage performer but it certainly would not be surprising. The photographer of this wonderful portrait was Josef Lowy (1834-1902). Lowy was a very prominent and talented Vienna photographer who was active in the city between the 1870’s and early 1900’s. A book of Lowy’s photographs (published in 1897) can be found on “Abe Books” at a price over three thousand dollars. Lowy was an Austrian. He was trained as a lithographer and received an artistic education at the Vienna Academy. He entered the field of photography in 1861 and was a regular exhibitor in photographic salons beginning in 1864. He won medals in the 1873 Vienna World Exhibition and became an official photographer to the Austrian Court. Lowy had varied interests in photography. He did royal portraits and also photographed industrial sites. He photographed many theatre and opera stars. Upon Lowy’s death, his wife (Mathilde) took over operation of the studio until 1908. Mathilde Lowy (1854-1908) had married Josef in 1875. She was succeeded in business by Lowy’s nephew, Gustav Lowy who renamed the studio “Art Institute J. Lowy”. By now you may realize that I reported that Josef Lowy took this photograph in 1904 but died in 1902. This fact makes this particular photograph even more special. Actually, my hypotheses is that this cabinet card portrait was taken by a photographer employed by Lowy’s widow, or perhaps Mrs. Lowy herself.  (SOLD)

Scan 1

Published in: on July 10, 2015 at 8:16 pm  Comments (2)  
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PORTRAIT OF A FASHIONABLE WOMAN AND HER HUSBAND IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

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A lovely couple pose for their portrait at the Johnson & Company studio in Chicago, Illinois. The most notable feature of this image is the fashionability of the young woman. Her dress is attractive and relatively unusual relative to dresses seen in most cabinet card images. She is also very well accessorized. Note her jewelry which includes a ring, necklace, and earrings. She is also wearing fingerless gloves. She is a Chicagoan and must have taken advantage of the good shopping there. She also appears to have had good clothes sense. Her husband is dressed formally but clearly not trying to draw attention to himself via his clothing. The photographer, Johnson & Company was operating in Chicago at least between 1886 and 1895. The proprietor was J. Scott Johnson who was born in Ohio in 1860 and moved to Chicago in 1882. Johnson placed an ad in “The Photographic Times (1908)” which listed his studio for sale due to his desire to retire. The ad noted that the studio was in the heart of Chicago’s business district and was “a gold mine for a hustler”. In listing the price of the studio, Johnson wrote that he would sell it as a “sacrifice at $1500.00”.  (SOLD)

Published in: on July 8, 2015 at 8:31 pm  Comments (2)  
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A WELL DRESSED GENTLEMAN HOLDS HIS HAT IN HIS HAND IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

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A well dressed man with a relatively close shaved beard and mustache poses for his portrait at the studio of John Kimball Stevens in Chicago, Illinois. He stands with his hat in his hand displaying a half smile. He is wearing a pinky ring and a tuxedo collar type shirt. He looks like a city dweller, perhaps a businessman. To learn more about J. K. Stevens and to view more of his photographs, click on the category “Photographer: Stevens”. The image below shows the reverse of the cabinet card. Note that Steven’s gallery was located in the McVicker’s Theatre Building.   SOLD

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Published in: on July 6, 2015 at 8:58 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PORTRAIT OF A FAMILY IN WATTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA

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This vintage photograph features a family of six dressed in their finest clothing. The family portrait includes a couple and their two teenage daughters and one teenage and one young adult son. This photograph was taken at the C. A. McDannell’s studio in Wattsburg, Pennsylvania. The photo below shows McDannell’s house. His studio was on the top floor. The picture was taken during one of the town’s multiple floods which occurred between 1892 and 1909. Charles A. McDannell (1859-1944) was born and died in Erie County, Pennsylvania. He was married to Jennie Barry. He is buried in Wattsburg Cemetery. The 1900 US census lists McDannell and his 17 year-old son Clyde as photographers. The 1910 US census also lists Charles as a photographer. However, the 1920 and 1930 US census reveals that he had become a postmaster. Wattsburg-tanner.Weebly.com provides a bit of biographical information about McDannell. In addition, the site displays some of his photographs. It is noted that Charles liked taking outdoor photographs. He had a special interest in photographing country life and children. “Photographic Times” (1888) praises a few of his photographs and the “Bulletin of Photography” (1912) reports that he was on the executive committee of the Professional Photographers Society of Pennsylvania. Inscribed on the reverse of this photograph is a family name. I have been unable to search the name due to legibility problems. Any assistance would be appreciated in deciphering the name. ADDENDUM: See comment below. Great genealogical detective work by a cabinet card gallery visitor identified all the members of the family seen in this photograph.

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Published in: on July 2, 2015 at 12:07 pm  Comments (3)  
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A LOVELY WOMAN IN A DARK DRESS

puffy

There are a lot of unknowns attached to this cabinet card portrait of a lovely woman in a dark dress with puffy sleeves.  Who is the photographer? Where was the photograph taken? Who is the subject? The answers to these questions have been lost to history. The woman projects a strong appearance and has pretty eyes.

Published in: on June 30, 2015 at 8:28 pm  Comments (1)  

WELL DRESSED CONFIDENT LITTLE GIRL IN WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS

lawrence 3

A cute little girl wearing a checkered dress and big hat posses for her photograph at the Lawrence studio in Worcester, Massachusetts. The child projects an air of confidence as she gazes at Frank Lawrence, the photographer. A drawing of Lawrence’s studio can be seen on the reverse of this cabinet card (see image below). His studio was located on the John G.Clark’s Block. To learn more about this photographer and to view more of his photographs, click on the category “Photographer: Lawrence”.  (SOLD)

lawrence 2

Published in: on June 28, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PORTRAIT OF A FIREFIGHTER IN READING, PENNSYLVANIA

firemanThe cabinet card gallery has over a dozen photographs by photographer John D. Strunk. This image joins two other fireman portraits by the prolific Mr. Strunk. This cabinet card features a fireman wearing his dress uniform. Note his brass butons and his badge. To view other photographs by this photographer and to learn more about him, click on the category “Photographer: Strunk”.  (SOLD)

 

Published in: on June 27, 2015 at 3:57 pm  Comments (3)  
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PORTRAIT OF A TEENAGE BOY IN NAPPANEE, INDIANA BY A VERY INTERESTING PHOTOGRAPHER

keller

A young man, probably a teenager, poses for his portrait at the Keller studio in Nappanee, Indiana. The young gentleman is well dressed and well coiffed. Either he, or someone else, spent a good deal of time and work to properly arrange his hair. John M. Keller (1867-1943) opened his photography studio in Nappanee in 1897. An ad in the St. Louis and Canadian Photographer (1900) advertised the business as being for sale. The 1900 US census listed him as working as a bicycle dealer. Keller married Clara Burbach in 1891. The 1908 Elkhart (Indiana) business directory reported that he had a store selling bicycles and sundries, as well as repairing sporting goods. By the time of the 1910 US census, Keller had a new occupation. He was working as a garage manager. The Goshen Democrat Newspaper (1912) reported that while Keller was testing an automobile, the flywheel came off and struck him below the knee. The unfortunate accident broke his leg. Interestingly, the newspaper also stated that after injuring Keller, the flywheel continued it’s journey and actually went through the side of the building. The 1920 US census found Keller working as a “garage mechanic” in Frankfort City, Indiana while the 1930 US census lists him as unemployed and living in Rochester, Indiana. It turns out that Keller was a real entrepreneur. According to the Rochester Historical Society, In 1921 Keller built and operated the Keller Inn which was located near the edge of Lake Manitou. He also made lures for fishermen. Apparently Keller had a shady side. During prohibition he made and sold liquor and “locals reported he also ran prostitutes out to an island in Lake Manitou”. Keller died at age 75 from heart disease. Much of the information about J. M.Keller was found at an internet site (http://www.folkartfishingtackle.com/#!john-keller/cadr). The image below was also found there. The image is a back stamp from one of Keller’s cabinet cards. It seems likely that the young man pictured in the image is Keller himself. I can’t resist supplying an interesting fact about the town of Nappanee. It is the longest city name in the US which has each letter in it’s name appearing twice.  (SOLD)

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Published in: on June 25, 2015 at 3:45 pm  Leave a Comment  
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A PRETTY WOMAN WITH A FAR-AWAY LOOK, A FAN, AND A RAISED GLASS

fan girl

This carefully posed vintage real photo postcard begs the viewer to hypothesize about what’s happening in this photograph. A pretty young woman displaying a far-away look holds an open fan in one hand and a glass of champagne in the other. Her dress and appearance could be described as risque. The top part of her dress is sheer and beaded in places. She has a beautiful hat and wearing a fancy hair ornament. The woman is well dressed and stylish. What is this lovely lady thinking about? Any guesses? The preprinted message on the bottom of the postcard, “prosit neujahr” is German for “Happy New Year”. This postcard was published by Neue Photographische Gesellschaft (NPG) in Berlin, Germany. The postcard was part of a series and was mass produced for sale. It was likely published in the 1910’s.

Published in: on June 24, 2015 at 11:45 am  Comments (9)  
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