Charles S. Rabineau of Albany, New York, produced this cabinet card portrait of a non expressive woman. She is wearing a lace collar and earrings. To learn more about Rabineau and to view more of his images, click on the category “Photographer: Rabineau”.
NON EXPRESSIVE WOMAN IN ALBANY, NEW YORK
INTENSE WOMAN IN ALBANY, NEW YORK
This cabinet card portrait captures the profile of a well coiffed woman posing at the studio of Aaron Veeder, located at 32 North Pearl Street in Albany, New York. Veeder did an excellent job of using lighting in creating this photograph of this fashionable lady. Aaron Veeder was a native of Albany and according to the Bicentennial History of Albany (1886), he devoted himself to landscape photography until 1881 when he developed a specialty in portrait photography. (SOLD)
DOUBLE WEDDING IN WENONA, ILLINOIS
This cabinet card appears to be a portrait of two wedding couples who participated in a double wedding. Of course it is also possible that just one of these couples are a bride and groom and the other are part of the wedding party. All four subjects are adorned with flowers for the special occasion. The men have terrific mustaches. The photographer of this image is James Parrett whose studio was located in Wenona, Illinois. Parrett was born in Magnolia, Illinois in 1857. He came to Wenona with his parents in 1867. He learned photography in 1884 at a studio in Streator, Illinois. He opened a studio in Wenona in 1884. A year later he married Miss May Stoner of Wenona. While working as a photographer, Parrett was also a member of the school board for several years and served at least one term as an alderman. The Bulletin of Photography (1912) announced that Parrott had sold his studio to Clarence Jones.
ADORABLE LITTLE GIRL GETS HER SIGNALS CROSSED IN READING, PENNSYLVANIA
An adorable little girl poses for her portrait at the studio of J. S. Fritz in Reading, Pennsylvania. Something is drastically wrong with this picture. The yellow ribbon is supposed to be tied around the old oak tree, not the girl’s waist and arms. Pardon my anachronism. The child in this photograph was likely told not to smile and she complied with the request. However, she is displaying an “all knowing” look. She is well dressed and wearing earrings and a cross. Note the unusual burgundy color of this cabinet card. To learn more about photographer John S. Fritz, click on the category “Photographer: Fritz (JS)”.
JOSIAH BENNETT: STATE SENATOR FROM MASSACHUSETTS
This cabinet card features a portrait of Massachusetts Senator Josiah Bennett. His mustache is very notable and earns him a spot in the cabinet card gallery category “Mustaches (Only the Best)”. Be sure to check out the collection of extraordinary mustaches. This portrait was taken in 1885 by the Bushby & Macurdy studio located on Washington Street in Boston. Asa Bushby was born in South Danvers, Massachusetts in 1834. He was a self taught portrait painter and after returning from the Civil War, he became a photographer. He opened a studio in Peabody, and then moved to Lynn, and later to Boston, Massachusetts. At some point in his career, he partnered with George W. Macurdy. He is listed in the 1889 Boston business directory. At the end of the 1880’s he moved to Tacoma, Washington and died there in 1897. Civil war buffs may be interested to know that Asa Bushby served in the 1st Regiment Massachusetts Heavy Artillery (company D). He entered, and later left the regiment as a private. To view more photographs by Bushby & Macurdy, click on the category “Photographer: Bushby & Macurdy”. Josiah Bennett served as a state senator. He was served on a committee that addressed state prison issues. Hopefully, further research will yield more information about Mr. Bennett.
PORTRAIT OF BEAUTIFUL THEATER ACTRESS KATE SANTLEY (PHOTOGRAPHED BY NAPOLEON SARONY)
This fantastic cabinet card photograph features beautiful theater actress Kate Santley (1837-1923). The photograph was produced by New York City celebrity photographer, Napoleon Sarony. Santley was born in Germany but raised as a child in Charleston, South Carolina. After the outbreak of the civil war in America, Santley left for England. She began her theater career in England and became a well known actress, singer, comedienne, and theater manager. In 1876 she played Wilhelmina in “The Jolly Waterman” at the London Opera Comique. Also in 1876, she started her own theater company and produced and starred in W. S.Gilbert’s “Princess Toto” at the Theatre Royale in Nottingham. Kate Santley was a stage beauty. She was slim and pretty and was frequently photographed for carte de visites, cabinet cards, postcards, and advertising. To view other photographs by this celebrated photographer, click on the category “Photographer: Sarony”.
LOVELY LADY AND A TRAIN WRECK IN ASHTABULA, OHIO
This cabinet card features a portrait of a very lovely lady posing in the studio of Blakeslee & Moore in Ashtabula, Ohio. The town of Ashtabula was the site of a major train wreck in 1876 and one of the firemen who responded to the resulting blaze was Frederick W. Blakeslee. Besides being a firefighter, he was also a photographer and he used his camera to record the aftermath of the disaster. The image he made has become legendary in the history of disasters and the history of Ashtabula. He sold thousands of prints of the scene. Fred W. Blakeslee was in business in Ashtabula from 1870 to 1897. Blakeslee was born in Ohio in 1843. He was a lifelong resident of Ashtabula. At the end of the civil war he opened a photography studio in the town. Beginning the 1870’s he was joined by Frank C Moore (1851-1907). For a time, they operated a branch in Geneva, Ohio. Moore began his photography career as an apprentice in Ashtabula and then ran his own studio in Lima, Ohio between 1870 and 1875. Moore’s partnership with Blakeslee ended in 1894. Blakeslee’s son Frederick K Blakeslee (1880-?) also became a photographer in Ashtabula. The story of the “Ashtabula Train Disaster” is immensely tragic. The accident is thought to have been caused mainly by the collapse of a bridge owned by the Lake Shore and Michigan Railroad. The bridge was a joint creation by Charles Collins (engineer) and Amasa Stone (architect and designer). On a winter night in 1876, a train carrying 159 passengers and crew crossed over the bridge and when the first engine just passed the far side of the bridge, the bridge began to collapse and the rest of the train fell into the ravine. Ninety-two people were killed in the accident and most died from fires that were started from the train car’s oil lamps and stoves. The passengers were trapped in the burning crushed cars. The accident happened after a heavy snow storm and the rescuers were ill prepared and not equipped to help the poor victims of the train wreck. Charles Collins testified about the bridge design to an investigative jury and after finishing his tearful testimony, went home and shot himself in the head. Amasa Stone was held partially responsible for the accident, but he refused to accept blame. He theorized that the train jumped its tracks and destroyed the bridge. However, it is probable that he suffered severely from the incident, and about seven years later, he shot himself in the heart.
WOMAN STANDS BY FENCE POST IN LEBANON, PENNSYLVANIA
Elvin E. Schartel, a photographer from Lebanon, Pennsylvania, produced this image of an intense looking young woman standing at a gate. She is wearing a necklace with a locket. Schartel is listed in the 1889 Lebanon business directory as a photographer.
AUSTRIAN WOMAN HOLDING A PITCHER AND BASKET (PHOTOGRAPH BY RUDOLF KRZIWANEK)
A pretty Austrian woman poses for her portrait at the studio of Rudolf Krziwanek. The woman is holding a pitcher in one hand and a basket with the other hand. The reverse of the photograph has an imprinted date which indicates that the image is from 1894. Krziwanek had studios in both Vienna and Ischl, Austria. Rudolf Krziwanek was a noted Austrian photographer in Vienna. He operated his studio there between 1870 until his death in 1905. He is well known for the many portraits he took of the Hapsburg Court.
TOOTHLESS OLD MAN WITH ODD BEARD IN HOWELL, MICHIGAN
An elderly man poses for his portrait at the Gibson & Morgan studio in Howell, Michigan. The gray haired gentleman appears to be missing his teeth and is wearing an unusual beard that occupies much of his neck and little of his face. To view other interesting beards, click on the category “Beards (Only the Best)”.
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 