WEDDING COUPLE IN CLEVELAND, OHIO

WEDDING CLEVELAND_0003

Frank Becker, a photographer in Cleveland, Ohio, produced this wedding portrait. The bride is wearing a long white floral veil and the couple clearly spent some money at their local florist. The groom has a handsome mustache. As frequently seen in wedding photographs from the cabinet card era, the groom is seated and the bride stands. Perhaps the reason for this type of pose is to showcase the bride’s wedding gown. Frank Becker was an active photographer in Cleveland between 1886 and 1900 or later. He was born in Germany in 1865 and emigrated to the United States in 1881.

Published in: on June 24, 2014 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
Tags: , , ,

SLOW BOAT TO VALLEJO, CALIFORNIA: YOUNG SAILOR AT COMMAND

SLO BOAT TO VALLEJ_0002

This cabinet card portrait features a young boy wearing a sailor’s uniform at the wheel of a faux ship located at the Solano Art Studio in Vallejo, California. The photographer is Charles McMillan. The little sailor’s uniform looks very realistic and his hat and lanyard are a nice touch. The backdrop, depicting the sea, is also quite effective. However, the photographer’s use of a fur on the deck was certainly not consistent with the nautical scene he was trying to create. The book “Vallejo” (2004) by James E. Kern, includes an 1895 photograph of Charles McMillan’s studio. The building was located at 314 Georgia Street. McMillan was born in Canada in 1853. He began his photography career at the age of sixteen in Chicago, Illinois. He moved to California in 1879 and became a travelling photographer. He operated his studio out of a tent. He eventually decided to settle down and opened a studio in Vallejo. One source reports that McMillan was such a success upon opening his studio that the competing photographer in town was forced to move his business elsewhere. In 1883 McMillan married Californian Isabell Floto.

Published in: on June 23, 2014 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
Tags: , , , ,

THREE YOUNG SIBLINGS IN WORCESTER, ENGLAND

WORCESTER TRIO

This cabinet card features three adorable young siblings posing at the West End Studio in Worcester, England. The boys are wearing sailor suits. Their little sister sits between them with her hands clasped and a with a bewildered expression. Walter J. Brown’s studio was located at 9 Bridge Street in Worcester.

Published in: on June 21, 2014 at 3:34 pm  Leave a Comment  
Tags: ,

HANDSOME BEARDED MAN IN PORTLAND, OREGON

portland beard

The subject of this portrait is quite the handsome gentleman and  has a wonderful beard. To view more interesting beards, click on the category “Beards (Only the Best). The reverse of the photograph has a printed stamp indicating that the photographer of this image was located in Portland, Oregon. In addition, the back of the cabinet card shows a medal for photography from the Oregon State Agricultural Society which was issued in 1881. Born in Illinois in 1844, Frank G. Abell moved to California with his parents in 1857. In 1862, at the age of 18, he joined the firm of William Shew in San Francisco, where he spend four years learning the art and business of photography. He opened his own gallery, Abell’s Star Gallery, in Stockton, California in 1866. The next year he moved back to San Franisco and then worked in such towns as Grass Valley, Red Bluff and Yreka. In 1877 he pursued his craft in Roseburg, Oregon and from 1878 to 1888 he was based in Portland. He must have left his heart in San Francisco because he returned there once again. His indecisiveness was evident when he returned to Portland where he worked between 1897 and 1907. When his health failed, he moved to Tacoma, Washington where he died in 1910.

Published in: on June 20, 2014 at 11:32 pm  Comments (1)  
Tags: , , , , , , , ,

PARENTS AND THEIR FIVE CHILDREN IN SAN PAULO, BRAZIL

FAMILY PORTRAIT_0005This family portrait features a mother and father along with their five children. Mom and one of her daughters are holding umbrellas while dad balances a book on his knee. The eldest son is wearing a sailor suit and has his arm wrapped around his little brother who is sitting on a tricycle. Another brother stands alone on the opposite side of the wall than where the rest of his family is located. Does this have some psychological meaning, or is this just where he was posed by the photographer. The photographer is the Perez studio which was located in San Paulo, Brazil.

Published in: on June 17, 2014 at 11:31 am  Comments (1)  
Tags: , , ,

MOTHER AND DAUGHTER SIDE BY SIDE

MOM AND DAUGHTER_0006A mother and daughter pose for their portrait at an unidentified photography studio. On second thought, the young woman and the child seen in this image may actually be siblings. Looking at the way they are posed, I would guess that they share a sibling relationship rather than a parent-child relationship. The subjects certainly exhibit a family resemblance.  The pair are nicely dressed. The little girl is wearing a beaded necklace, possibly pearls.

Published in: on June 16, 2014 at 11:54 am  Leave a Comment  

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY IN PLAINFIELD, NEW JERSEY ……. (PORTRAIT OF A LOVING FATHER AND DAUGHTER BY CELEBRATED PHOTOGRAPHER CHARLES EISENMANN)

FATHERS LOVE_0004

This photograph, by celebrated photographer Charles Eisenmann, exudes love. A young girl is pictured hugging her father and she exhibits a very loving expression. The father appears truly happy to be the recipient of such love. This photograph was taken by a famous photographer of the cabinet card era. Charles Eisenmann (1855-1927) was German born and was a celebrated cabinet card photographer during the 1880’s and 1890’s. His studio was located in New York City’s Bowery District. This part of the city was populated by many people who were considered “on the fringe of society”. The area was full of artists, transients, and prostitutes. The Bowery district appeared in the movie Gangs of New York (2002).  Eisenmann was noted for his photographs of human oddities (side show “freaks” and people with unusual birth defects). He was also known for his photographs of Circassian beauties. These women were reported to be escapees from Turkish harems but in fact were local women who were costumed to look wild and wore teased  “big” hairdos. Eisenmann also did celebrity portraits. His customers included P. T. Barnum, Major Tom Thumb, Mark Twain and Annie Oakley. He left his Bowery studio in 1898 and was succeeded by his intern/son-in-law Frank Wendt. For a few years he took portraits out of a studio he operated in Plainfield, New Jersey. The above photograph is a product of that studio. He later went to work for Dupont where he was the director of the photography department. A number of institutions have collections of Eisenmann’s work. Syracuse University’s library has a collection of more than 14,000 Eisenmann images.

Published in: on June 15, 2014 at 8:00 am  Comments (1)  
Tags: ,

PHOTOGRAPH OF WEDDING COUPLE EXHIBIT AT AMERICA’S FIRST WAX MUSEUM

WAX MUSEUM_0003

WHITEHEAD_0004

This photograph features an exhibit from America’s first wax museum. Note how real the wax bride and groom appear in this exhibit. The groom is sitting in a decorative chair and wearing a pocket watch and corsage. The bride is wearing a wedding band, flowers, and a bridal veil. Her dark wedding dress is beaded and  intricately ornate. This wedding couple looks so real. In fact, they are real. They just look waxen. No offense is meant toward this couple. They are probably posing the way they photographer had instructed them. The photographic process was not generous to their appearance. Writing this description caused me to wonder when wax museums came into existence. Research quickly revealed that the first wax museum originated some time in the early 18th century. However, the creation and use of wax figures for ceremonies occurred many years before that. This cabinet card presents a mystery that I was unable to resolve despite spending quite a bit of time on the endeavor. The mystery involves identifying the photographer of this image. I have copied his studio stamp that was on the reverse of this cabinet card and it can be seen above. Any attempt by the Cabinet Card Gallery’s vast unpaid research department (the gallery’s visitors) to discover the photographers identity would be appreciated. I did not find the name of the photographer to be legible. It also didn’t help that no town, city, or state was listed. For those up to the challenge, good luck in your search.

Published in: on June 14, 2014 at 11:42 am  Comments (9)  
Tags: , , ,

SWEET YOUNG WOMAN IN BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

SWEEYThis cabinet card portrait captures a pretty young woman with a sweet smile. She is wearing a white dress and jewelry including a collar pin and earrings. Note the length of her long dark hair. The photograph was produced by the Bushby and Macurdy Studio which was located in Boston, Massachusetts. To learn more about photographers Asa Bushby and George Macurdy and to view more of their photographs, click on the category “Photographer: Bushby & Macurdy”.

 

Published in: on June 11, 2014 at 1:54 pm  Leave a Comment  
Tags: , ,

PORTRAIT OF A WOMAN AND HER VIOLIN IN MASSACHUSETTS

violinist

This cabinet card photograph features a woman and her violin and bow. At least, I think its a violin. Hopefully, an informed visitor to the cabinet card gallery will confirm whether her instrument is a violin and if it isn’t, will correctly identify the stringed instrument. The portrait is a product of a photographer named W. C. Thompson. Mr Thompson operated the Opera House Studio in Amesbury, Massachusetts, as well as the Globe Studio which was located in Newsburyport, Massachusetts. One has to wonder whether the woman in this image was a performer at the Opera House in Amesbury. The Amesbury Opera House has an interesting history. P. Stevens, author of the History of Amesbury (1999) writes that the Opera House was “the most ostentatious building ever to grace the streets of Amesbury”. The citizens of Amesbury experienced a change of scenery when the building burned down in what is considered the worst fire in Amesbury’s history. A contributing factor to the lack of success that the fire department had in putting out the fire was the fact that the man in charge of keeping water pressure high to fight fires was away for the weekend and failed to designate anyone to relieve him during his time away. It seems safe to say that this portrait was photographed before the 1899 fire since the photographic studio likely also was destroyed in the the blaze. According to one source, the photographer of this image, William Cushing Thompson (1839-1917) operated his Amesbury studio between 1869 and 1893. It was located for at least some of this time at Market and Main Street. The Bulletin of Photography (1917) reported that Thompson was in the photography business when the civil war started and he temporarily quit his career to join the Union army. According to the article, he stayed in the war until it ended. Thompson entered the war as a private and mustered out as a sergeant. He served in Company A of the 48th Massachusetts Infantry. Some of Thompson’s photographs are in the collections of the New York Public Library and the Massachusetts Historical Society. Thompson was born and died in Newsburyport. He is buried in the Oak Hill Cemetery in Newsburyport. To view other photographs by this photographer, click on the category “Photographer: Thompson”.

Published in: on June 8, 2014 at 3:53 pm  Comments (3)  
Tags: , , , , , ,
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »