A little girl wearing a lace dress sits on a cement post and poses at the Homer & Company studio in Boston, Massachusetts. She is wearing a necklace and a bewildered expression. Research yielded very little information about the photographer who produced this cabinet card. It is known that the photographer was named George H. Homer and that he actively operated his studio between 1883 and 1885. He also may have worked as a photographer in other years.
LITTLE GIRL WEARING A LACE DRESS IN BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
FAMILY PORTRAIT IN DULUTH, MINNESOTA
A well dressed family looks quite handsome as they pose for their portrait at the Christensen studio in Duluth, Minnesota. The father is wearing an unusual tie while the son is wearing a more traditional tie and a wing tipped collar shirt. The mother is wearing a pin on the neckline of her dress. The photographer of this cabinet card is John Christensen. The Bulletin of Photography (1916) reported that Christensen was one of several Duluth photographers who signed a petition urging the licensing of traveling photographers who passed through the city. The petition stated that these traveling photographers enlarged pictures at very low prices but then compelled people to purchase very expensive frames. They also charged customers in advance to enlarge family photos and then left town without doing the work or returning the treasured photographs.
ACTRESS IN VIENNA DRESSED IN EXOTIC JAPANESE COSTUME
This cabinet card photograph features an actress in an exotic Japanese costume. The photographer is S. Weitzmann whose studio was located in Vienna, Austria. Writing on the reverse of the image dates the photograph as being produced in 1907 and advertising on the reverse states that the studio won medals in exhibitions in Paris, London, and Grand Prix in 1906. The woman in this image is wearing gloves and an interesting hat. She is also holding a fan. Weitzmann is mentioned in Hitler’s Silent Partners: Swiss Banks, Nazi Gold, And The Pursuit Of Justice (2011). The book states that Weitzmann was the foremost portrait photographer in Vienna and worked for the Austrian Royal Court before its demise in 1918. To view other photographs by Weitzmann,click on the category “Photographer: Weitzmann”.
HANDSOME YOUNG MAN IN BANGOR, MAINE (FEMALE PHOTOGRAPHER)
A handsome young man preens for the camera at the Ramsdell & Halloran studio in Bangor, Maine. Writing on the reverse of the photograph is not totally legible but appears to state “Board of Editors” and “Kallour” or Kallow”. Despite the written clues on the reverse of the photograph, research did not uncover any information pertaining to this gentleman’s identity. Investigating did reveal that one of the photographers of this image was female. Miss Emily I Ramsdell (1856-1917) appears in the 1880 census as living with her parents in Atkinson, Maine and working as a school teacher. Examining several Bangor city directories reveals that she was employed as a photographer as early as 1892 and as late as 1914. The 1887 through 1899 directories show that she was partnered with Thomas F. Halloran. The Bulletin of Photography (1917) reports her death at age sixty-one.
PORTRAIT OF ENGLISH THEATER ACTOR MR KENDAL PLAYING THE ROLE OF PRINCE GENERAL KARATOFF IN “THE SILVER SHELL”
William McKenzie Morrison produced this cabinet card portrait of actor William Hunter Kendal (1843-1917). Morrison’s studio was housed in the Haymarket Theatre building in Chicago, Illinois. Morrison was known for being a photographer who specialized in taking photographs of celebrities. To view other portraits by Morrison, click on the category of “Photographer: Morrison”. Kendal’s given name was William Hunter Grimston and he was an English actor and manager. He was born in London and had his theatrical debut in Glasgow at age eighteen. Four years later he appeared in London at the Haymarket Theatre. In 1869 he married Madge Robertson (1848-1935) and they performed together for many years. Kendal was a co-partner in managing the St. James Theatre from 1879 through 1888. Between 1889 and 1895, Kendal and his wife toured successfully in the United States and Canada. Their American debut was in “A Scrap of Paper” (1889). The couple retired from acting in 1908.
MADAME BUTTERFLY IN KLAGENFURT, AUSTRIA
This image features an attractive actress playing Madame Butterfly in a 1909 production. The preceding information comes from an inscription on the reverse of the photograph. The photographer is Hans Wanderer and his studio was located in Klagenfurt, Austria. Madam Butterfly is an opera by Giacomo Puccini. The story was originally written by James Long (1898). David Belasco dramatized the story for theater. The operatic version of Madame Butterfly premiered in Milan, Italy in 1904.
WOMAN IN A FRAME IN HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA
A young woman is featured in this cabinet card that appears to be a memorial photograph. The image has a musical theme. Note the pictured string instrument and the scrolled sheet music. Perhaps the young woman pictured in the frame was a musician. The photographic studio responsible for this interesting image is the C. S. Roshon studio which was located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The cabinet card gallery has another Roshon photograph in its collection). This second photograph is one of the more controversial images in the gallery’s collection because it very well may be a counterfeit cabinet card. The image features a Native American man with a turkey vulture on his head. Click on the category “Photographer: Roshon” to view this photograph.
TWO DAPPER AFFECTIONATE GENTLEMEN IS NEWTON, KANSAS
Two affectionate men pose for their portrait in Newton, Kansas. The men look quite dapper in their suits and with their straw hats. Note that the gentleman wearing the suit and vest has a pocket watch chain visible atop his vest. He is also holding a walking stick.The man standing, and the man sitting on the hammock are showing some shared affection. They could be friends, relatives, or even lovers. It is impossible to guess their relationship. One wonders if homophobia was much of a factor in the cabinet card era in regard to men showing affection to men in public or in photographs. Perhaps a visitor to the cabinet card gallery can competently comment on this issue. The photographer of this image is the Tripp studio in Newton, Kansas. According to print on the reverse of the photograph, the studio was located on the corner of Main Street and Broadway. The photographer, Frank D. Tripp is cited in Anthony’s Photographic Bulletin (1896) as the President of the Photographers Association of Kansas. Another source states that Tripp “flourished” as a photographer in Newton during the 1880’s. Tripp’s obituary appears in The Evening Kansan Republican (1947). He died in Denver, Colorado at age eighty. He was described in the article as a pioneer photographer in Newton. He was an officer in the Newton Masonic Lodge. At some point he moved to Pueblo, Colorado where he was a partner in the Tripp and York photography studio.
AGNES EVANS: THEATRE ACTRESS DRESSED IN QUITE RISQUE FASHION
Agnes Evans poses for this cabinet card (top) photographed by Newsboy of New York. Agnes Evans was a theatre actress who performed in the Broadway production of the Pit (1904). The actress is wearing a very revealing risque dress. Further research by myself or assistance from visitors to this site will hopefully further illuminate her life and career. Newsboy was a brand of plug tobacco and Newsboy photographs were given away as a premium by tobacconists and drug stores who sold the tobacco. The images were produced by the National Tobacco Works of New York. They were likely produced and issued in the early 1890’s. The bottom image features Miss Evans in another Newsboy cabinet card (number 8 in a series). She is wearing a risque costume that includes fingerless gloves.
WOMAN IN DEEP CONCENTRATION STUDIES A PHOTOGRAPH IN LINCOLN, ENGLAND
George Hadley of the Castle Studio produced this portrait of a woman in deep concentration. She is studying what appears to be a small framed photograph. One of her hands rests on a table. The table top holds an inkwell. Printing on the reverse of the cabinet card indicates that the studio had won prizes at exhibitions at Cornwall (1884), London (1884), and Northampton (1884). The studio was located in Lincoln. Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 