This photograph is a portrait of a pretty young lady in a fancy dress. She is wearing a dress with a high collar and has her hair up. The reverse of this photograph indicates that the woman’s name is Mamie Sloan and penned under her name was New Boston, Illinois and the date “June 1897”. The reverse of the photograph also has a photographer’s stamp but it is not entirely legible. The stamp reveals that the studio was located in Mount Pleasant, Iowa and that the studio was named “White & ?”. Research was unsuccessful at uncovering more information about the photographers or about Mamie Sloan. There were too many women who shared that name who lived in the New Boston area around the time that this photograph was taken. New Boston and Mount Pleasant are 66 miles apart, and it is likely that Mamie Sloan resided in New Boston although photographed in Mount Pleasant.
MAMIE SLOAN WEARS AN ELABORATE DRESS IN MT. PLEASANT, IOWA
PORTRAIT OF A BRIDE AND GROOM BY A FEMALE PHOTOGRAPHER IN ELROY, WISCONSIN
This cabinet card is a wedding portrait of a young unidentified couple. The bride is wearing a dark wedding dress and a long sheer veil. The groom is standing in the background behind the bench his bride is sitting on. The distance between the two removes the intimacy that we tend to see in modern day wedding portraits. The photographer of this image is Miss Carrie B. Clizbe whose studio was located in Elroy, Wisconsin. She is one of a small group of female photographers operating during the cabinet card era. Research revealed very little information about Carrie Clizbe’s career as a photographer. The 1880 US census found Carrie (age 21) living with her parents and four siblings in Reedsburg, Wisconsin. Carrie was working as a “tailoress”. Her father had an interesting occupation. He sold patents. The 1900 and 1910 census does not list her as having an occupation. While investigating, I was able to locate a cabinet card produced by the Clizbe Sisters studio in Reedsburg. It is apparent that Carrie was once partners with her sister Martha. A directory of Early Western Photographers reports that Carrie’s studio operated in Elroy circa 1895. The web site for Reedsburg provides a short biography of the man that Carrie Clizbe married on 7/4/1900. Herbert H. Webb and two partners established a department store in Reedsburg called Webb and Schweke. It was known as ‘The Big Store”. Carrie died in 1921 in the city of Chicago. She is buried in Reedsburg.
PRETTY YOUNG WOMAN IN READING, PENNSYLVANIA
A pretty young woman poses for the photographer at the studio of J. S. Fritz in Reading, Pennsylvania. To learn more about the photographer and to view more of his images, click on the category “Photographer: Fritz JS”.
MISS HOWELL: PRETTY AND CURVACEOUS STAGE ACTRESS
Miss Howell is the subject of this Newsboy cabinet card. Presumably, the busty and thin waisted Miss Howell was a stage star. This photograph is number 64 of a series of theater cabinet cards. It is unknown why someone erased the Newsboy logo from the front of the photograph. Newsboy cabinet cards were distributed as premiums accompanying tobacco products. Miss Howell is quite attractive. She is wearing long gloves and a fancy hat. An attempt to find further information about Miss Howell was unsuccessful. There was an opera singer named “Miss Howell” but it could not be confirmed that she was the appropriate age to be the woman in this photograph. Newspaper accounts reveal that Miss Dicie Howell was an American soprano who performed in many American and International cities during the 1920’s. This cabinet card was published significantly before 1900. To view other Newsboy cabinet cards, click on the category “Photographer: Newsboy”.
AREN’T YOU SOMEBODY FAMOUS? PORTRAIT OF UNIDENTIFIED MAN IN NEW YORK CITY (PHOTOGRAPHER: NAPOLEON SARONY)
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The gentleman featured in this cabinet card portrait looks like someone famous. The photographer of this image is Napoleon Sarony who photographed many celebrities living in or visiting New York City. However, Sarony also photographed many non celebrities so there is no guarentee that the subject of this photograph is someone famous. He certainly does have great facial hair. The reverese of this image is dated 1872. Printing on the reverse indicates that Sarony’s studio was located at 680 Broadway in New York City. The printing lists two names associated with the studio; Napoleon Sarony and Alfred S. Campbell. To view other photographs by Sarony, click on the category “Photographer: Sarony”. To view photographs by Campbell, click on the category “Photographer: A. S. Campbell”.
PRETTY GIRL IN LINCOLN, NEBRASKA
An adolescent girl poses for her photograph at Kelley & Company of Lincoln, Nebraska. The curly haired girl is wearing a lace collared dress and a collar brooch and rope chain necklace. H. W. Kelley’s photography studio is listed in the Lincoln business directory of 1887.
NON EXPRESSIVE WOMAN IN ALBANY, NEW YORK
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”.
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)”.
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 