Meet Philip August Albrecht. His name is written in pencil on the reverse of this photograph. Mr Albrecht has chops. This image may be faded but it certainly does justice to his mutton chops. See more great facial hair in the categories “Beards (Only the Best)” and “Mustaches (Only the Best)”. Philip Albrecht appears in the 1870 US census. The document reveals that he was born in Prussia around 1843. He was employed as a bookkeeper and married to Anna Albrecht. The couple had two children, Emma (age 3) and John (age 10 months). Baltimore City Directories disclose that Philip Albrecht worked as a bookkeeper between at least 1868 and 1882. He worked as a cashier at least between 1888 and 1898. Albrecht died in 1909. This photograph was produced by William Foss Shorey (1833-1911) whose studio was located in Baltimore, Maryland. He was a well known photographer in Baltimore and operated there for more than forty years. He was born in Maine and the son of a furrier (Nehemiah Shorey). William graduated from the Maryland Institute of Art and Design and became a drawing instructor there at twenty-five years of age. He learned photography under the tutelage of H. E. Woodward who was associated with the Institute but also owned the Monumental Art Studio. Shorey’s obituary states that he was the official photographer of William “Buffalo Bill” Cody for the first ten years of his show business career. It was also reported that Shorey was the official photographer of the Maryland Department of the Grand Army of the Republic. He is buried in the Green Mount Cemetery in Baltimore.
A MAN AND HIS CHOPS IN BALTIMORE, MARYLAND
ADA SIDNEY: PROBABLE STAGE ACTRESS OR OPERA SINGER
The reverse of this cabinet card identifies the subject as Ada Sidney. Judging by her costume, she appears to have been an opera or stage actress. This photographic portrait was taken by the Marc & Schlum studio in New York City. Research revealed no information about Miss Sidney or the studio photographers.
PORTRAIT BY FEMALE PHOTOGRAPHER MADAME GAGNE IN MONTREAL, CANADA
This cabinet card portrait features a well dressed woman and was produced by a female photographer in Montreal, Canada. Madame Gagne ran a photography studio in Montreal in the 1880’s and early 1890″s. Gagne had studios at other locations in Montreal including 897 St. Catherine (circa 1885) and1823 St. Catherine (date unknown). She was located at the 211 St. Laurent address in 1895. She did a great deal of portrait work for the Chinese community. William Notman was the Montreal photographer associated with taking portraits of the elite. It is likely that Madame Gagne was married to fellow Montreal photographer, Edouard Gagne. The McCord Museum in Montreal has some of Madame Gagne’s work in their collection of historic local photographs.
PRETTY WOMAN IN WHITE WITH LOTS OF BLING
A curly haired woman in a white dress poses a bit provocatively in the studio of Chandler & Scheetz in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is radiating bling. Note the amount of jewelry that she is wearing. She has a brooch, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and a ring. She is appears to be holding a purse. To view other photographs by Chandler & Scheetz and to learn more about these photographers, click on the category “Photographer: Chandler & Scheetz”.
LOVELY COUPLE IN RICHMOND, VIRGINIA
A lovely couple poses for their portrait in Richmond, Virginia. She is wearing a fancy hat and he is wearing a Bowler and a fancy mustache (click on the category “Mustaches (Only the Best) to view additional extraordinary facial hair). The high collared woman in this image has a pin on her collar, and she is wearing earrings and a thin long necklace. The couple appears to be dressed in their best clothing. The reverse of this photograph identifies this man and woman as being Percy and Loula Clarke. At the time that this picture was taken, this young couple was just starting off their life together. They must have wondered what was ahead for them. Research was able to uncover some of what actually did lie ahead for this young and attractive couple. The 1920 US census found Thomas Percy Clark (1873-1968) and his wife Loula Robertson Clarke (1876-1963) living on their family farm in Namozine, Virginia. Thomas and Loula lived with their five children aged 6 through 19. The nineteen year-old, Lurleen, was a public school teacher. Thomas must have been proud of his educated oldest daughter because he had dropped out of school after completing the seventh grade. By the time that the 1930 census was completed, the Clarke’s had only two children living at home with them in Namozine. The 1940 US census found the couple still living in Namozine. Thomas lived a very long life (96 years). It’s amazing to think that he was born four years after the civil war and died the same year that Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy were assassinated. He experienced a major portion of US history. Both Thomas and Loula are buried in the Mizpah cemetery in Dimwiddie County, Virginia. The New York Art Gallery, located in Richmond Virginia, produced this excellent cabinet card portrait.
PORTRAIT OF A SPANISH WOMAN IN PALMA DE MALLORCA
This image features a well dressed woman posing for her portrait at the Amadeo studio in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. Amadeo’s gallery was located at 19 Calle San Nicolas. The subject of this photograph is unidentified. She is wearing jewelry and a nice hat. Her arms seem to be covered by translucent lace material that resemble stockings, but worn on the arms. It is clear that I need some major assistance from the cabinet card gallery research department (comprised of the site’s visitors) in order to explain the woman’s undersleeves. It is unknown whether the woman in this photograph was a visitor or resident of Palma. Palma de Mallorca is a major city and capital of the province of the Balearic Islands in Spain.
FOUR AFFECTIONATE WOMEN IN MANCHESTER, IOWA
Four women wearing lovely dark dresses, pose for their portrait at the Walter studio in Manchester, Iowa. The ladies are a bit “touchy-feely” as they assume an affectionate pose. The photographer of this photograph is Harvey L. Walter. “The History of Delaware County, Iowa” (1878) and Langdon Road Photographer Directory both mention Mr. Walter. He was born in 1833 in Ohio and moved “west” in 1853. He married Mary Fuller in 1864 and moved to Manchester in 1871. At one point he was partners in a firm in Manchester called Walter & Weidman. They were active in the 1870’s and 1880’s. Their studio was located on Franklin Street and was above Ford Brothers Store.
PRETTY WOMAN POSES FOR CARELESS PHOTOGRAPHER IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
A pretty woman poses for her portrait at the S. Adamkiewicz Art Studio in Chicago, Illinois. It appears that Mr Adamkiewicz was in a bit of a hurry when he took this photograph and also when he decided to publish it. The photograph is adversely affected by two factors. The posing position chosen by the photographer, and the unevenness which the bottom of the woman’s blouse sticks out of her skirt, causes the subject to give an appearance of sitting unevenly in her chair. In addition, one of her shoes is peaking out from under the cover of her skirt. I don’t imagine any gold medals would have been awarded to Mr Adamkiewicz for this image. The Chicago Polish Directory (1903) lists Stanley Adamkiewicz as a photographer operating in Chicago at a studio located t the same address listed on the bottom of this photograph.
THEATER ACTRESS MARIE BOCKEL IN COSTUME FOR “LA VIE” IN NEW YORK CITY (1884)
This cabinet card features Miss Marie Bockel dressed in costume for her performance in “La Vie”. She was photographed by celebrity photographer Moreno. Moreno’s gallery was located in New York City. To view other photographs by Moreno, click on the category “Photographer: Moreno”. A stamp on the reverse of the image states “Russell Brothers, 126 Tremont Street, Boston”. Miss Bockel’s appearance in La Vie was announced in the New York Times (1884). “La Vie” was H. B. Farnie’s adaptation of Offenbach’s “La Vie Parisenne”. Marie Bockel also appeared in the New York Times (1884) when she appeared with the W. A. Mestayer Company in the performance of “We, Us, and Company of Mud Springs”. The show was described as a “wild musical farce” concerning the establishment of a sanitarium. The newspaper’s review of the show was favorable and it mentions that Miss Bockel sang the soprano parts in some of the quartets “very well”.
ADORABLE CHILD IN ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA
I wanted to utilize a headline for this entry that stated “Eerie Child in Erie” but this child is too adorable to be described as “eerie”. What a shame! It would have been a clever headline. This photograph captures a well dressed child with long rolls of curls and a terrific smile. I believe the child is a boy and he is holding what appears to be a walking stick or a riding crop. This cute child is wearing a short suit and high topped shoes. The photographer is F. J. Weber who operated photography studios from the 1870’s to at least through the 1890’s in Erie. During part of that time, Weber’s firm was called F. J. Weber& Brother. His brother’s name was Charles H. Weber. In their book “The Photographic Experience 1839-1914: Images and Attitudes” (1994), Henisch and Henisch cite Weber & Brother as having a warning printed on the reverse of their CDVs which cautioned people not to use fly-by-night photographers. The warning stated “Do not trust your pictures to be copied by travelling photographer bummers who make great promises and generally deliver very poor work”.
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 