A very pretty woman poses at the Thors studio in San Francisco, California. She is quite fashionable in her attractive large buttoned coat and her hat. Note her ruffled collar and cuffs. She is wearing earrings. The reverse of the photograph is dated “November 1879”. To learn more about Louis Thors and to view more of his photographs, click on the category “Photographer: Thors”.
“ Lean on me, when you‘re not strong. And I’ll be your friend. I’ll help you carry on.” This cabinet card portrait brings to mind the lyrics of Bill Withers song “Lean on Me”. The image features two affectionate women (perhaps they’re sisters), one seated on a chair while the other is seated on the floor. The young woman on the floor has an open book in her lap and appears to be reading to the second woman. They are posed in an affectionate manner. Both are wearing pretty bows. The photographer is John Harvey and his studio was located in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. After studying photography for two years in New York, Harvey established his Fredericton studio in 1883. He and his wife, Martha, ran the studio until John’s death in 1903. Martha Harvey continued operating the studio on her own until she sold it to Frank Pridham in 1917. Pridham and subsequent owners kept the “Harvey Studio” name and the business continues to operate today as one of the oldest photography studios in Canada.
This cabinet card portrait features stage actress May Gallagher. The photograph was taken by New York City celebrity photographer D. H. Anderson. To view more photographs by the Anderson studio, click on the category “Photographer: Anderson (New York)”. Miss Gallagher’s hair appears to need a little work. Her curls are quite flat. In fact her hair looks glued down to her head. She is wearing a fancy lace dress. May Gallagher was not a major actress but she received some attention in the theatrical news of her time. Music and Drama (1882) refers to her as “the charming May Gallagher” in their reference to her appearing as Esmeralda at the Madison Square Theater in New York City. The New York Times (1884) mentions Miss Gallagher in their story about the traveling company of the play “Private Secretary”.
An exotic looking young girl wearing a mysterious costume, and a big hat poses for her portrait at an unknown studio. She is holding an open fan in a shielding manner. The young woman looks like she may be a teenager. Why is she dressed in this fashion? Is this her wardrobe for a play? Is she going to a costume ball? This image was likely produced in the early part of the cabinet card era and is probably of European origin.
A pretty young woman poses for her portrait at the Pearlstien studio in Brooklyn, N.Y.. She is sitting in a bench styled chair and wearing a checkered dress. Julius Bernhardt Pearlstien is listed in Trows Business Directory of the Boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens (1899) as operating a photography studio at 39 Greenpoint Avenue in Brooklyn. He was born sometime between 1877 and 1879. Pearlstien became a US citizen in 1900 while living in Brooklyn. He registered for the draft (World War I) in Brooklyn in 1917.
If you doubt that these two gentlemen are really the infamous outlaws, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, then you are correct. This is not a portrait of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid but these guys do give the appearance of a pair of scoundrels. In reality, this photograph features Joseph C. White and a friend, as someone so kindly informed us in pencilled writing beneath the subjects image. The photographer is J. A. Morris of Rockmart, Georgia. Research yielded no information about either Joseph C. White or J. A. Morris. Both names are common and preliminary research for biographical information was unproductive.
Two well dressed men pose for their portrait at T. H. Webster’s studio in Rice Lake, Wisconsin. The fellow with the walking stick is wearing striped pants and a top hat. The other gentleman is wearing a rather odd hat. Perhaps one of the Cabinet Card Gallery’s visitors will be able to inform the rest of us about the unusual hat. These Wisconsin dandies appear to be enjoying themselves while having their image taken. T. H. Webster is listed by internet photographer directory Langdon Road as operating in Rice Lake during the 1880’s. However, another source reports that he sold his studio to photographer Homer C. Reed in 1893.
Celebrity photographer Jacob Schloss captures actress Mabel Potter in this cabinet card portrait. For the time period, Miss Potter is assuming a rather risque position. Schloss operated his studio in New York City. This cabinet card holds a copyright from 1894. To view other photographs by Schloss, click on the category “Photographer: Schloss”. The New York Times (1892) has a brief article with the theatrical news that Miss Potter was about to appear in “The Vice Admiral” which was a “nautical comedy” scheduled to run at the Casino Theater. A photograph of Potter, very similar to the one above (likely taken at the same sitting), appears in Munsey’s Magazine (1895). Schloss is given credit as the photographer. It is announced that she was appearing in “Little Christopher Columbus” as one of Captain Slammer’s daughters. The article adds that she first appeared on the stage four years earlier with the McCaull Company in “Boccaccio” at Palmer’s Theater.
This photograph has significant damage but it finds it’s way to the cabinet card gallery because it features an attractive and very young looking bride and groom as well as an interesting photographer. Both of the subjects are holding formal gloves. The photographer of this image is M Goulart of New Bedford, Massachusetts. Manuel Goulart is a noted historical figure in American photography. In fact, he and his brother Jose Goulart were the subject of a book, “Two Brothers Goulart: Photography in New Bedford and the Azores” (1996). The Azorean brothers became interested in photography in the 1870’s. They were from the Portuguese island of Faial in the Azores and came to New Bedford in 1889. Between 1892 and at least 1899, Manuel Goulart’s studio was located at 109 South Sixth Street in New Bedford. New Bedford had a significant population of people of Portuguese ethnicity. It is likely that the bride and groom in this portrait were part of that Portuguese community. The brothers are noted for their late 19th century and early 20th century photographs from the Azores, Madeira, and Portugal. The New Bedford Whaling Museum has a large collection of Goulard photographs.
A REAL CUTIE PIE, BOY OR GIRL IS UNCERTAIN BUT I VOTE FOR GIRL NICE HAT AND BUTTON UP BOOTS J H REYNOLDS IS PHOTOGRAPHER JH REYNOLDS PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO IS WAY ITS WRITTEN BANGS LACE COLLAR STRAW HAT?
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THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 