PORTRAIT OF SOPRANO ETELKA GERSTER, BY NEW YORK CITY CELEBRITY PHOTOGRAPHER, JOSE MORA

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This cabinet card portrait features Hungarian soprano Etelka Gerster (1855-1920). She debuted in Italy in 1876. In 1878 she performed at the Academy of Music in New York City. She earned great international acclaim during her singing career. She unfortunately lost her voice after the birth of her daughter and never sang again. She became a voice instructor and taught singing in Berlin, Germany between 1896 and 1917. She died in Bologna in 1920. This cabinet card portrait was produced by celebrity photographer Jose Mora of New York City. To learn more about him and to view more of his photographs, click on the category “Photographer: Mora”.

Published in: on October 16, 2014 at 10:35 pm  Leave a Comment  
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“MISS CONSTERNATION” IN BURLINGTON, IOWA

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This cabinet card portrait captures a curly haired young woman posing for her portrait at the Lupton studio in Burlington, Iowa. Note the woman’s lace collar. One wonders about the meaning of her clasped hands. Is she deep in prayer? Is she overwhelmed by worry. The photographer of this image is Oscal L. Lupton who was born in 1849 in Indiana. He appears in the 1880 US census and is listed as working as a photographer in Greenville, Illinois and living with his wife Nellie. The 1900 US census finds Mr Lupton living in Burlington with his wife and three sons.

Published in: on October 14, 2014 at 11:26 am  Leave a Comment  
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MOUTHLESS MAN IN ITHACA, NEW YORK

The Cabinet Card Gallery has discovered another mouthless man. This gentleman posed for his portrait at the McGillivray studio in Ithaca, New York. The studio was located at 28 & 30 East State Street. Those that know Ithaca winters can imagine this gentleman trudging through mounds of snow in frigid temperature with a frozen beard and mustache. To view other interesting beards an mustaches, click on the category “Beards (Only the Best)”. Research found some information about the photographer of this image. Ellsworth McGillivray was born in Caroline, NY in 1862. He attended the Ithaca school system and after he left school he became a painter. In 1881 he began his career as a photographer. He worked for photographer George Stanley for two years and then was employed by E. D. Evans for six years. He then worked in Cortland, NY for one year before returning to Ithaca in 1890 and buying the Forest City Art Gallery. McGillivray was married to Jessie L Shaw of Albion, NY.

Published in: on October 13, 2014 at 8:00 am  Comments (1)  
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BIG SISTER STANDS, WHILE LITTLE BROTHER SITS ON TRICYCLE, IN DIGHTON OR LEROY, MICHIGAN

This cabinet card portrait features a little boy on his tricycle and his big sister. The boy is wearing a bow tie, a striped shirt, and a serious expression. The young girl has a protective grip on the handlebars of her brothers trike. Her straw hat is on the ground in front of her. This outdoor scene is actually taking place inside the studio of C. E. Pelton who operated studios in both Dighton (1892-1895) and Leroy (1892-1893), Michigan. Pelton also operated a studio in Tustin, Michigan (c 1890). The young girl in this image is identified in an inscription on the reverse of the cabinet card. Her name was Maud Piper and she can be found in the Michigan birth index. Maud E. Piper was born in Williamston, Michigan in 1884. Her parents were named Isaac and Esther Piper. Unfortunately, Maud died in 1894 at the age of ten. She is buried in Riverside Cemetery in Okemos, Michigan.   (SOLD)

Published in: on October 12, 2014 at 8:00 am  Leave a Comment  
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WEDDING COUPLE IN MONTLUCON, FRANCE

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A couple poses for their wedding portrait at the studio of A. Heron in Montlucon, France. The bride and groom are formally dressed. Note the groom’s top hat (he’s holding it) and the bride’s long veil. The groom is shorter than the bride and unlike many other wedding photos of the era, the photographer didn’t attempt to hide the difference by placing the groom on an elevated surface. Another difference between this image and other wedding portraits of the era is that the couple in this image are holding hands. Apparently, they were not ashamed of public displays of affection. The lack of fear of photographing intimacy might reflect a difference of the French and American cultures at that time. Preliminary research yielded no information about Monsieur Heron. Montlucon is a town in central France on the Cher River.

Published in: on October 10, 2014 at 8:00 am  Leave a Comment  
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A FASHIONABLE WOMAN FROM JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY

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A fashionable young woman holding a flower poses for her photographic portrait at the J. H. Steiner studio in Jersey City, New Jersey. She is wearing earrings and rings. She appears to be wearing a corset judging by her shapely figure. Her ethnic origin is unknown but it is unlikely that her family came to America on the Mayflower.

Published in: on October 9, 2014 at 8:00 am  Comments (3)  
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THREE YOUNG ADULTS HAVING FUN IN BUTLER, PA

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This cabinet card portrait features two young women and a young man posing together at the Zuver studio in Butler, Pennsylvania. The three subjects appear to be friends judging by the amount of affection seen in the photograph. One woman is leaning into the other and the young man has his arm placed behind the pretty woman in the center. The three subjects also appear to be having fun as can be ascertained from the smiles on their faces. All three subjects are wearing terrific hats. Lewis W. Zuver was active in the photography business from the late nineteenth century through the early twentieth century. A help wanted ad for his studio appeared in  the Bulletin of Photography (1921). His brother, Leonard Zuver operated a studio in Tionesta, Pennsylvania. His sister, Mary Zuver West ran a photography studio in Bradford, Pennsylvania and specialized in portraits of women and children. To view photographs by this photographer’s brother, Lewis and to learn more about his family; click on the category “Photographer: Zuver”.

 

Published in: on October 8, 2014 at 8:32 am  Leave a Comment  
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STOIC MAN WITH WISPY BEARD IN AUSTIN, MINNESOTA

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This cabinet card portrait features a stoic looking man with haunting eyes and a wispy beard. He is well dressed and well groomed. The photographer of this photograph is Orville Slocum whose studio was in Austin, Minnesota. J. E. and Orville Slocum were both photographers in Austin. Presumably they were brothers. Research discovered little about J. E. but information was found about Orville.  Orville Slocum was born in Herkimer County, New York in 1843. He worked as a photographer in Minnesota in the 1870’s, 1880’s, and 1890’s. He apprenticed with H. S. Coon. Before entering the photography business he fought in the Civil War as a private with the 1st Minnesota Cavalry (Company M). It appears that he married the boss’s daughter. His first wife was Barbara Coon who he married in 1865. That marriage ended in divorce and he then married Mary Hayden in 1891. Orville Slocum died in 1910 and is buried in the Iowa Veterans Home Cemetery in Marshalltown, Cemetery.

 

Published in: on October 5, 2014 at 11:29 am  Comments (3)  
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A BOY AND HIS TOY BOAT IN BAYSWATER, ENGLAND

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This cabinet card features a well dressed young boy and his toy sail boat. One can imagine the boy playing with this realistic looking model boat in a local pond or lake. The boy his wearing a bow tie and a happy expression The reverse of this photograph has advertising for the photographer, Thomas Fall. His studio was located at “10 Wellington Terrace, (opposite Kensington Palace Gardens), Bayswater W”. Thomas Fall (1833-1900) started as a lithographer and later worked as chief photographer for the famed English photographic gallery, Elliot and Fry. He began at that prestigious firm in 1867 and worked there for seven years. Click on the category “Photographer: Elliot and Fry” to view some of the firms images. He married Sarah Maria Farmer in 1863 and the couple had six children. Fall was a well known photographer, photographed royalty, and was London’s leading canine photographer.

Published in: on August 22, 2014 at 10:42 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PORTRAIT OF AN ASIAN YOUNG MAN IN BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

ASIAN_0004A young Asian man poses for his portrait in this cabinet card portrait from the Moloney studio in Boston, Massachusetts. The reverse of the photograph has an inscription identifying the subject as Yee Hock. American images of Asians are uncommon. This gentleman is wearing ethnic clothing. The 1892 and 1912 Boston Almanac and Business Directory lists M. J. Moloney as being a photographer at the 22 Hanover address printed on this photograph. Another source reported that Moloney served the Boston area as a photographer for over twenty years.

Published in: on August 21, 2014 at 2:30 pm  Comments (2)  
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