G. E. Butler, a photographer in Cortland, New York was walking in the woods one day when he happened upon a young girl who seemed to be on a mission. He said “Hey little girl, where are you headed in such a hurry”? She replied that she was bringing her ill grandmother some chicken soup. The photographer asked the little girl her name and she said “Little Red Riding Hood”. Butler told the child that she was doing a great deed and that she should come by his photography studio with her parents and he would provide her with a free portrait. Their conversation in the forest scared off the “big bad wolf” so Little Red Riding Hood’s trip to her grandmother’s cottage was uneventful. That is enough fantasy for now. In reality, the photographer of this cabinet card photograph was George Edwin Butler. Butler succeeded George I. Pruden as the proprietor of a Cortland photography studio in 1893. Butler is cited in a New York Court of Appeals (1910) volume. He participated in a trial as a forensic photographer of the location of an accident involving an automobile and a child on a bicycle. This citation is the first mention I have found of a cabinet card era photographer being employed by a plaintiff or a defendant in a court case.
LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD IN CORTLAND, NEW YORK
ERNEST AND TRIXY: A GENTLEMAN AND HIS DALMATION
A well dressed man and his pet dog pose for their portrait at the Hopson studio in an unknown locale. The bespectacled gentleman stands with a hand on his hip and the dog assumes a wonderful pose while standing on a chair. The reverse of the photograph has a written inscription stating “To Lilla, From Brother Ernest and Trixy”. Due to insufficient information, the identities of the subject and the photographer must remain a mystery. (SOLD)
BRITISH MILITARY MAN AND HIS WIFE AND SERVANT POSE IN TAIL NADU, INDIA
S. Boesinger photographed this young family and their Indian servant at a studio in Tamil Nadu, India. To the right of Boesinger’s name on the bottom of the photograph is the name “Wellington”. Boesinger may have had a partner named Wellington, or perhaps had another studio in Wellington, England. The gentleman in this image appears to be a member of the British military. Note the servants jewelry. She is wearing a necklace, earrings and wide bracelets. She is also wearing nose ring. She was clearly a pioneer in nose jewelry, a practice which has made a comeback in present day times.
DESK JOCKEY CONDUCTS BUSINESS IN POSEN, PRUSSIA
A handsome well dressed gentleman sits at his desk and poses for this portrait by the Engelmann studio in Posen, Poland. At the time of this photograph, Posen was a province of Prussia and part of the German Empire. The man in this photograph appears to be a professional of some type. Perhaps he was an attorney or politician. He is leafing through some papers and looking at the camera. Note the large books (journals?) and the inkwell on his desk. He is wearing a wedding ring and a bow tie. (SOLD)
PORTRAIT OF A TEENAGE GIRL IN MONTREAL, CANADA
A girl, who appears to be a teenager, poses for her portrait at the studio of L. E. Desmarais & Cie in Montreal, Canada. The street address of the studio was 17 St. Laurent. L. E. Desmarais was listed in a number of Montreal city directories between 1870 and 1895. Two other photographers with the same last name were also listed, Ovila Desmarais (1864-1875) and Oliver Desmarais (1871-1878). It is likely that all three men were related.
HANDSOME WEDDING COUPLE IN VIENNA, AUSTRIA
The Cabinet Card Gallery is appreciative of the talent of Austrian photographer S. Weitzmann and the site is developing a nice collection of his work. To view other images from Weitzmann’s Vienna studio, click on the category “Photographer: Weitzmann”. This photographic portrait captures a well dressed wedding couple. The bride is holding a bouquet of flowers in one hand and the groom’s arm in the other hand. The groom is wearing a flower on his lapel and has a wonderful mustache. Note his top hat on the table beside him. He is holding a pair of white gloves and is wearing his newly acquired wedding band.
JOSIE DITT: MINOR STAGE ACTRESS PHOTOGRAPHED IN BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
The subject of this cabinet card portrait is stage actress Josie Ditt. Research indicates that she was a minor actress with a number of small role appearances in a number of major theater shows. The New York Dramatic Mirror (1892) announced her appearance in a “10,000 dollar production”, adding “No more, No less, No Bluff”. Will Wilson’s play, “The Man About Town” was playing at the Lyceum Theater. The show was a “Comedy, Vaudeville, Farce”. The New York Times (1894) advertised her appearance in the cast of “Little Christopher Columbus”. The Cornell Daily Sun reports her appearance in “Circus Girl”. This cabinet card was produced by the Conly studio in Boston, Massachusetts. To view other photographs by Charles F. Conly, click on the category “Photographer: Conly”. This particular photograph was once owned by Culver Pictures, a business that supplied celebrity images to the mass media for a fee. A stamp on the reverse of the photograph attests to Culver’s ownership.
A YOUNG WOMAN BECOMES PART OF THE ELITE IN QUINCY, MASSACHUSETTS
An unidentified well dressed young woman poses for her portrait at Kellie’s Elite Studio in Quincy, Massachusetts. Apparently, once a person is photographed at Kellie’s, they become part of the elite. The studio advertises prominently in the Quincy Directory (1902).
PORTRAIT OF A FAMILY WITH LOTS OF UNKNOWNS
This family portrait captures what appears to be three siblings posing in a studio located in an eastern European country. I would guess that this photograph is of Bulgarian origin but I am uncertain. Hopefully, cabinet card gallery’s reliable and knowledgeable research department (consisting of the sites interesting and informative visitors) will be able to decipher and translate the studio’s address listed on the bottom of the photograph.
CUTE LITTLE GIRL IN BRADFORD, PENNSYLVANIA
An adorable little girl (possibly a boy) poses for her (his) portrait at the West studio in Bradford, Pennsylvania.
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 