FOUR YOUNG SIBLINGS AND A HARMONICA IN STURGEON BAY, WISCONSIN

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Four young children pose for their portrait at the O. R. Moore gallery in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. It is close to certain that the children are siblings. The two oldest kids are girls and they appear to be wearing dresses made from the same fabric. It is not uncommon to see siblings wearing identical clothing in cabinet card photographs. One would guess that the reason for this practice was simply economics. The older girl is securely holding her youngest sibling securely on a chair. The baby has a harmonica in her/his hands. This image was taken in 1895. In 1891 Orville R. Moore worked as an operator for Sturgeon Bay photographer W. A. Drumb before opening his own studio. He opened his own studio by 1898. Some years later he sold his business and it became the Rieboldt Studio. Moore is mentioned in a number of photography journals. The “Photographic Times” (1898) cites him as competing in a photography competition sponsored by the Photography Association of Wisconsin. The “Bulletin of Photography” (1924) reports that Moore had returned to Sturgeon Bay after a fifteen year absence and opened a new photography studio.   SOLD

Published in: on February 19, 2015 at 11:50 am  Comments (2)  
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SASSY WELL DRESSED YOUNG BOY IN PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA

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This cabinet card features a well dressed young boy with attitude. His expression and hand on his hip gives him a sassy appearance. Note his jumbo bow tie. This photograph was taken by Lewis W. Zuver (1854-1927). Zuver was a member of a family of photographers. His brother Leander L. Zuver (1861-1924) had a studio in Tionesta, Pennsylvania. His sister Mary M. Zuver was married to Jacob West and had a studio  in Bradford, Pennsylvania. She was known for her portraits of women and children. Lewis, the photographer of this image was a guy who got around. He had studios in New York (Olean, Ellicottville, Salamonca), Ohio (Cleveland), and Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh). One source reports that he was in Pittsburgh at least from 1893-1900. He is listed in the Pittsburgh Directory (1895). At one point in his career he operated a studio on a steamboat that ran up and down the Alleghany between Olean, New York and Pittsburgh. A portrait of Henry J. Heinz (ketchup king) by Lewis Zuver can be found in “The Successful Americans” (1899). Zuver was clearly quite an entrepreneur and deducing from this image, he was a talented photographer. To view other photographs by this photographer, click on the category “Photographer: Zuver”.

Published in: on February 18, 2015 at 10:47 am  Comments (3)  
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COMPLIMENTS FROM MISS GERTRUDE FOSTER IN BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

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A pretty young woman poses for a cabinet card portrait at the Worden studio in Boston, Massachusetts. This profile portrait provides a nice view of her lacy dress and pinned flowers. The reverse of the photograph has an inscription that states “Compliments of Miss Gertrude Foster”. Research was unable to find an actress, dancer, or singer with the name of  Gertrude Foster. It seems likely that the Gertrude Foster seen in this cabinet card was not a celebrity. Researching Miss Foster was unproductive because her name is too common in the Boston area. To view more photographs from the Worden studio, click on the category “Photographer: Worden”.         ADDENDUM: I stumbled upon some biographical data about Miss Foster. It turns out that Gertrude Foster was a stage actress during the cabinet card era. The Capital (1898) reported that she was the “leading lady actress” at the Alcazar Theater in San Francisco before accepting a place in the touring Belasco  & Thall Theater Company. Miss Foster is mentioned again in the San Francisco Call (1900). The newspaper reports her marriage to Edward W. Mansfield who was the manager of the Fisher Opera House in San Diego, California. Apparently Mansfield was smitten with her when they met professionally some years before. Mansfield reportedly waited to pursue her until she had an opportunity to garner some “fame”.

Published in: on February 16, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
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ROW ROW ROW YOUR BOAT GENTLY DOWN THE STREAM. MERRILY, MERRILY, MERRILY, MERRILY, LIFE IS BUT A DREAM (ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU HAVE TWO BEAUTIFUL WOMEN DOING THE ROWING)

ONTHERIVER_0006This cabinet card photograph features a fine gentleman wearing a ship captains cap and sitting between two beautiful finely dressed young women on a paddle boat. The women are holding the oars while the man rests on a blanket wrapped bench. I suppose this image has comical undertones. The boat on the lake looks like a real outdoor scene but it is most likely all taking place in a terrific well accessorized studio. The photographer of this unique image is Herrmann Witt and his studio was located in Lubbenau, Germany.

Published in: on February 15, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Comments (3)  
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PORTRAIT OF A MENNONITE COUPLE IN ILLINOIS

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This cabinet card features a portrait of a young Mennonite couple. Note the couples plain style of dress, the young man’s beard, and the woman’s bonnet.  The reverse of the photograph has an inscription noting that the couple’s name is “Mr. and Mrs. D. T. Wagner”. An additional note on the verso states “return to Ida Buckingham, Oakley, Illinois”. Ida Buckingham (1886-1964) was likely a relative of the pictured couple and possessed the photograph during some period of her life. The photographer of this image is W. H. Farley. He operated photographic studios in Crete, Tampico, and Gibson, Illinois during the 1880’s. To view more of his photographs, click on the category “Photographer: Farley”.   SOLD

 

 

Published in: on February 14, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Comments (5)  
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A MAN WITH AN OUTSTANDING MUSTACHE IN PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

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The gentleman is this cabinet card portrait has a wonderful mustache. It has been perfectly trimmed and maintained. He posed for this photograph at the studio of Oliver Boudnas De Morat which was located at the southwest corner of 8th and Market in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. De Morat was a pioneer photographer. An article in “Photographic Mosaics” (1867) makes mention of his endorsing a certain photographic product. He is also cited in “The Philadelphia Photographer” (1870). He is considered  to have been among the most prolific producers of cdv portraits. He was born in Montreal, Canada in 1836 and died in Philadelphia in 1902. To view photographs of unusual and interesting mustaches, click on cabinet card gallery’s category “Mustaches (Only the Best).  SOLD

Published in: on February 13, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PORTRAIT OF BEAUTIFUL METROPOLITAN OPERA PERFORMER: ISABELLE L’HUILLIER

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The beautiful woman in this cabinet card portrait is opera singer Isabelle L’Huillier. She made her debut during the 1908/1909 season with the Metropolitan Opera Company as Musetta in “La Boheme”. She concluded the season with a role in “The Bartered Bride”. Miss L’Huillier is beautifully dressed in this photograph. She is wearing a fur and a pretty hat. The photographer of this cabinet card photograph is celebrity photographer Aime Dupont. To learn more about Mr Dupont and to view more of his images, click on the category “Photographer: Dupont”.  (SOLD)

Published in: on February 12, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Comments (2)  
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PORTRAIT OF A BRIDE AND GROOM IN WALLACE, IDAHO (PARIS PANEL)

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This cabinet card portrait features a bride and groom posing for their wedding picture at the studio of T. N. Barnard of Wallace, Idaho. Both bride and groom are well dressed. The bride is wearing a veil that has two feathers sticking straight up into the air. She is also wearing gloves and a three stranded necklace of pearls or beads. The bride is pretty and appears quite young. The groom has a pocket watch and it’s chain can be seen underneath his jacket. This cabinet card is very large (approximately 9 3/4″ x 6 3/4″). Cabinet cards of this size are called “Paris Panels” and that term can be seen printed on the bottom of this photograph. This type of cabinet card was produced in the 1890’s. The photographer of this image was Thomas Nathan Barnard. Barnard and his wife arrived in Wallace in 1889. Nellie Stockbridge was a retoucher in his studio and she assumed ownership when Barnard became mayor of Wallace. Both Barnard and Stockbridge are known for their mining photographs. A book of their work “The Photographic Record of T. N. Barnard and Nellie Stockbridge from the Coeur d’Alenes was published in 1903. In addition, there is a large collection of Barnard and Stockbridge’s work at the University of Idaho library. The image seen below is the Barnard building, located in Wallace, and photographed in 1907.  (SOLD)

digital.lib.uidaho

Published in: on February 11, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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MAY KOHNLE: STAGE ACTRESS WITH THE WILBUR OPERA COMPANY

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This portrait features stage actress May Kohnle. She is wearing a loose fitting bulky dress and a look of impatience. The Washington Times (1904) mentions that Miss Kohnle was part of the cast of “The Show Girl” which was appearing at the Lafayette Opera House. The show was described as “a jolly bit of tomfoolery” and the cast included “30 singing and dancing girls”. May Kohnle was a performer with the Wilbur Opera Company. The company began operating in 1870 and was founded by A. C. Wilbur. Wilbur was considered a fantastic businessman because he provided comic opera at popular prices and managed to be very successful financially. This photograph was taken by Elmer Chickering, a celebrated photographer who operated in Boston, Massachusetts. To learn more about Mr. Chickering and to view other photographs by this photographer, click on the category “Photographer: Chickering, E.”.   SOLD

Published in: on February 6, 2015 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
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A YOUNG WOMAN AND HER TENNIS RACQUET IN LITTLE FALLS, NEW YORK

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A thin waisted young woman poses for her portrait at the Abbott Photographic Art studio in Little Falls, New York. She is flashing a sweet smile and holds a tennis racquet behind her back. I wonder if she is wearing her tennis outfit. She seems to be wearing a corset and I am guessing that running around a tennis court in a corset can’t be exactly comfortable. I don’t think it would help her game either. I’ve never seen Venus or Serena Williams wearing such a contraption while competing for a major title. William H. Abbott operated his studio at 545, 547, and 549 Main Street in Little Falls. The copyright on the reverse of the cabinet card is 1889.  SOLD

Published in: on February 5, 2015 at 12:01 pm  Comments (2)  
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