A mother and her three adorable children pose for the portrait at the studio of F. Kost in Frankfurt, Germany. The well dressed mother is holding the youngest child’s hand and appears to be stroking it. The little boy is holding an object that may be a toy. The children all have identical hair styles.
MOTHER AND HER THREE ADORABLE CHILDREN IN FRANKFURT, GERMANY
FIFTY SHADES OF GREY IN RED BLUFF, CALIFORNIA
An unidentified old man with a great beard poses for his portrait at the H. Weston studio in Red Bluff, California. Fifty shades of grey is the best way to describe the color of his hair and beard. To view other all-star beards, click on the category “Beards (Only the Best)”. Henry Weston (1840-1911) was born in Massachusetts. He was listed in the 1885 business directory as a photographer in the Tehama County directory. He is also listed in the 1900 US census as a photographer living in Amador, California. Red Bluff is a town about 125 miles north of Sacramento. The town overlooks the Sacramento River and is in Tehama County.
PORTRAIT OF AN ATTRACTIVE WOMAN IN FRIENDSHIP, NEW YORK
This cabinet card portrait features an attractive stylish woman wearing unusual but attire. Her ensemble looks like she is wearing wire mesh under her jacket but it most likely just the design of her blouse or jewelry. It would be terrific if some of the cabinet card gallery’s visitors from the fashion contingent would comment on this woman’s clothing choice. The photograph was produced by the Cudding studio in Friendship, and Bolivar, New York. The town of Cudding was settled in 1806. It is located in Allegany County. The original name of the town was “Bloody Corners” due to the amount of conflict in the area. Fortunately, peace must have come to the area and in 1815, the town was renamed Friendship.
LITTLE GIRL PUSHES HER DOLL IN A STROLLER IN WATERTOWN, NEW YORK
An adorable curly haired little girl poses with her doll in a stroller in front of a water scene backdrop at the studio of T. S. Hawke in Watertown, New York.
ADORABLE TODDLER IN EASTON, PENNSYLVANIA
A cute little girl wearing a long gown stands on a wicker chair and looks directly at the photographer. The photographer is the Gray Studio of Easton, Pennsylvania. William Gray is listed as a photographer in various Easton business directories from 1894 through 1916. He was married to Annie Gray. William Gray is also cited in the 1940 US census and it is reported that he was born in 1867 and was a native of Maryland.
A WIDE-EYED GIRL AND HER DOLL IN READING, PENNSYLVANIA
This cabinet card photograph features a curly haired little girl holding flowers and standing on a chair next to her large doll. She is wearing a lace dress and a humorous wide eyed expression. She looks like she is having fun at her portrait session. There is an object on the arm of the chair. It is likely the child’s hat which was removed for the photograph. The sweet girl in this image was photographed by Ward’s studio in Reading, England. Reading is a town located in the county of Berkshire.
ANNIE SOMERVILLE: STAGE ACTRESS PHOTOGRAPHED BY BENJAMIN FALK
Stage star, Annie Somerville is featured in this cabinet card portrait by celebrity photographer Benjamin Falk in New York City. The curly haired actress is pretty and thin waisted. She is wearing a velvet type costume and has a sword at her side. Research yielded little information about Miss Somerville. She appeared in a number of actress series issued by tobacco companies. Her named is listed as part of the cast of Evangeline when the play appeared at the Fourteenth Street Theater in New York City. The reverse of the photograph has the stamp of photographer J. M. Russell, 126 Tremont Street, in Boston, Massachusetts. Russell was a well known music publisher in Boston and it is possible that he also was involved in the sale of celebrity cabinet cards. To view other photographs by Falk, click on the category “Photographer: Falk”.
LITTLE GIRL AT THE GATE SOMEWHERE IN KANSAS
A cute little girl with a sweet smile pushes open the gate in this studio photograph by E. E. Van Epps. The child wears an expression that shows her excitement about obtaining a photographic portrait. This scalloped cabinet card was created in one of four studios operated by Van Epps in Kansas. The studios were located in the towns of Atwood, Colby, Hoxie and Sharon Springs.
A BEREAVED WOMAN IN THE WOODS IN McPHERSON, KANSAS (FEMALE PHOTOGRAPHER)
This cabinet card features a well dressed woman dressed in black and holding a handkerchief. The woman appears to be dressed in mourning clothes. On the reverse of the cabinet card is the following pre printed quotation “Secure the shadow ere the substance fades”. This quotation was commonly used in the photographic community in advertising to encourage people to photograph their deceased relatives to keep their memory alive. The next part of the “secure the shadow” quotation is “Let nature imitate what nature made”. It was not uncommon to photograph corpses in life-like poses or in caskets, deathbeds, or other household furniture during the cabinet card era. See cabinet card gallery category “Memorial Card”. This photograph seems to be more of a mourning card than a memorial card, though one can’t be certain. The photographer of this image is Mrs. Vreeland who operated the “leading gallery” in McPherson, Kansas. To view other photographs by female photographers click on the category “Female Photographers”. To view other photographs by Mrs. Vreeland, click on the category “Photographer: Vreeland”.
COLONEL REUBEN STEERE AND WIFE (“THE SMALLEST MARRIED COUPLE IN THE WORLD”)
The subjects of this cabinet card portrait are Colonel Reuben Steere (1838-1915) and his wife, Rebecca (1853-1929). Steere is elegantly dressed and has a walking stick. Rebecca has unusually long hair which is displayed prominently. Reuben Steere was a native of Chepachet, Rhode Island. He was 44 inches tall and 43 pounds at maturity. He was a member of the Lilliputian Opera Company. In 1880 he married fellow Lilliputian, Rebecca Ann Myers of Indiana. The couple settled in Chepachet in 1882 and Reuben worked as a truant officer while Rebecca operated a restaurant and confectionary shop. This photograph was produced at the “photo parlors” of Rieman & Company. The studio was located on Montgomery Street in San Francisco, California. The address printed on the front of the photograph notes that the parlors were “Opposite Lick House”. What is Lick House? The name Lick House fosters all sort of silly images in my mind but the history of Lick House is actually quite interesting. James Lick was a renowned craftsman of wood products and a successful businessman. He began building Lick House in 1861. The building was two blocks long and three stories high. It was a luxurious showpiece hotel with 164 high quality rooms. It was considered one of San Francisco’s premier hotels until it burned down to the ground during the 1906 earthquake and fire. Advertising print on the reverse of the photograph includes the following two slogans, “Rieman’s Babies” and “When others fail, try Rieman”. Additional advertising on the reverse of the image are the names George R. Rieman and Fred H. Pray. At one time, Rieman and Pray were partners in operating a photography studio. Writing on the the back of the photograph states the photograph captures “the smallest married couple in the world”. To view other photographs by Rieman click on the category “Photographer: Rieman”.
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 