PRETTY BRIDE IN HERKIMER, NEW YORK

This cabinet card features a beautiful young woman posing for what is probably her wedding portrait. She is wearing a stunning white lace trimmed dress and is holding a white ostrich feather in her gloved hands. Note her big puff sleeves. This image was produced by the Willey & Griswold studio  in Herkimer, New York. The studio was located on the “Democrat Block”. This is certainly an unusual name for a street. The area doesn’t sound like a particularly heterogeneous neighborhood. My hypothesis is that the street was named after a local newspaper, The Herkimer County Democrat which was published between 1856 and 1861. The newspaper company was likely located on the block, and as a major landmark, the street was named after it.  SOLD

Published in: on November 5, 2012 at 12:01 pm  Comments (1)  
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TWO WARMLY DRESSED MEN EN ROUTE

The subjects of this photograph are two warmly dressed men.  The seated man is wearing a fur coat and an interesting cap.  Is it a buffalo coat? He is holding a walking stick or cane. Look at his hands. They seem to be the hands of a man who works outside in the elements. The standing man is well dressed and his wardrobe includes a long coat. One wonders what line of work these men pursued. The man in the fur looks like a trapper. The man in the long coat looks like a rancher. If only assessing occupations of people in photographs was so easy.  This photograph was produced by Shepherd’s Automatic Studio. The location of the studio is listed as “On Route” which likely indicates that the photographer responsible for this image was a travelling photographer.

 

Published in: on November 5, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (3)  
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PORTRAIT OF STAGE ACTRESS MARY BEEBE (PHOTOGRAPH BY NAPOLEON SARONY)

This cabinet card, by celebrity photographer Napoleon Sarony, features actress Mary Beebe. She was a lesser known stage performer but did receive notice in the theater sections of major newspapers. Music and Drama (1882) reported that she had cancelled her performance with the Boston Ideal Opera Company because she had a sore throat. Life (1885) reviewed her performance in Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Patience”. The article described her performance as “good, but not up to standard”. To view other photographs by Sarony, click on the Cabinet Card Gallery category “Photographer: Sarony”.

Published in: on November 4, 2012 at 12:01 am  Leave a Comment  
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A YOUNG MAN AND THREE YOUNG WOMAN IN FANCY COSTUMES (STUTTGART, GERMANY)

A young man and three young woman dressed in ethnic clothing, or theatrical costumes, pose at the H. Brandseph studio in Stuttgart, Germany. The foursome are attractive, and they appear to be teenagers. Perhaps they are stage performers. Printing on the reverse of the cabinet card reveals that Hermann Brandseph’s Stuttgart studio was located at “Marienstrasse 36”. A telephone number is listed for the studio which demonstrates that this photograph was produced toward the end of the cabinet card era. Hermann was the son of well known German photographer Georg Friedrich Brandseph (1826-1915). Georg was a lithographer, silhouetter, and painter who learned about the daguerreotype process from the celebrated photographer Karl Reutlinger who lived in Stuttgart (to view a number of Reutlinger’s photographs, click on cabinet card gallery category “Photographer: Reutlinger”).  Georg opened his own studio there in 1853. In the 1870’s the Brandseph studio was extremely successful. In fact, by 1870, the studio had 40 employees. Georg turned the studio over to his son Hermann (1857-1907) in 1884.

Published in: on November 3, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (2)  
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GRADUATION PICTURE OF YOUNG WOMAN IN EAST SUMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS

A young girl in a fancy dress poses for her graduation portrait. She is holding a rolled diploma which is pressed against the keyboard of a piano. There are scattered books atop the piano. A ribbon hangs over the books and the ribbon has lettering on it. Magnification indicates that part of the wording says “Class of 1887” and has a drawing of a building on it (is the building a school?). The photographer of the image is B. F. Freeman whose studio was located At 42 Broadway in East Somerville, Massachusetts. Freeman was listed as a photograher in the Somerville City Directory (1883) and the New England Business Directory (1889).

Published in: on October 31, 2012 at 12:01 am  Leave a Comment  
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ELDERLY MAN WITH A BRISTLY BEARD AND TIRED EYES IN NEBRASKA CITY, NEBRASKA

The Trimble studio of Nebraska City, Nebraska,  produced this photograph of an elderly man with a bristly beard and a bushy mustache. Take a look at this man’s eyes. They seem like tired eyes. The 1900 US census identifies Henry (age 29) and Robert (age 54) as being photographers in Nebraska City. Henry was married to a woman named Maggie and Robert’s wife was named Martha. To view other cabinet card images of interesting beards, click on the category “Beards (Only the Best).

Published in: on October 30, 2012 at 12:01 am  Leave a Comment  
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PRETTY YOUNG WOMAN IN SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (PORTRAIT BY HENRY WALTER BARNETT)

A pretty young woman poses for her portrait at the Falk studio in Sydney, Australia. She is beautifully dressed, and has an attractive figure (give an assist to her corset). The photographer of this image was quite well known in his time. Henry Walter Barnett (1862-1934) was born in St. Kilda, Victoria. His parents were London-born Jews. Barnett began his career as an assistant to photographer Robert Stewart in 1875. When he was 21 years old he set up a studio in Hobart. He sold it to his partner in 1884 and went to London where he joined society photographers W. & D. Downey (click on cabinet card gallery category “Photographer: W & D Downey” to see some of their photographs). He returned to Australia and opened the Falk Studios in Sydney in 1887. He quickly became of the leading portrait photographers in the country. The Australian Dictionary of Biography states that “he was distinguished for his ability to bring out bone-structure and texture of the skin.” He was known as a perfectionist and he employed the most skilled craftsmen to work in his studio. He was said to have a flair for conducting business, paying little attention to cost. However, he asked “unheard-of-fees” for his services. Among his sitters were many celebrities, including Sarah Bernhardt and many other theatrical stars. In 1889 he married 20 year-old Hilda (Ella) Frances Clement Forbes”. The couple became known for their lavish entertaining. In 1896 Barnett became involved in early Australian Cinematography when he filmed scenes of the Melbourne Cup. In 1897 Barnett relocated to London where he operated a studio at Hyde Park Corner and later at Knightsbridge. His subjects included many royals and high society individuals. In 1920 Barnett sold his studio and retired in Southern France. He could not rest long and soon was involved in the collection and sale of contemporary French art.

Published in: on October 29, 2012 at 12:01 am  Leave a Comment  
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A FEARFUL LITTLE GIRL NAMED ELLA IN WARREN, PENNSYLVANIA

A cute little girl in an adorable outfit, stands on a covered chair at the Bairstow studio in Warren, Pennsylvania. She has a very expressive face and eyes and her expression seems to connote fear or concern. The child’s name, “Ella Hall”  is noted on the reverse of the photograph. There were too many Ella Hall’s in the Warren area to allow for uncovering biographical information about the Ella Hall in this photograph.The photographer, James R Bairstow was born in England in 1856, entered the United States in 1878,  and was married to Mary S. Bairstow. A collection of Bairstow’s photographs are held by the Warren County Historical Society. The Bairstow studio was run by Bairstow’s son, David (1884-1968), making it a two generation business. To view other  photographs by Bairstow, click on the category “Photographer: Bairstow”.

Published in: on October 28, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (4)  
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YOUNG GYPSY WOMAN IN ELMIRA, NEW YORK

R. F. Snyder of Elmira, New York produced this cabinet card photograph of a young gypsy woman. One can not be certain whether this image displays a young gypsy woman, or a young woman dressed to appear as a gypsy. She is wearing the appropriate ethnic clothing and is holding cymbals. The reverse of the photograph has a copyright date of 1889. This cabinet card does not represent good quality posing skills on the part of the photographer. The subject was photographed at too great a distance and she is consumed by the large blank expanse of the floor beneath her and the wall behind her. Ralph F. Snyder was born about 1852 in Berwick, Pennsylvania. His father, John Snyder, was a photographer. Ralph Snyder began his photography career at age 18 and soon had a studio in Scranton, Pennsylvania (1873). He also worked in Philadelphia before coming to Elmira, New York to open his gallery. His studio in Elmira was located at 116 Baldwin (1891).

Published in: on October 27, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (2)  
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SALVATION ARMY WORKER HOLDING “WAR CRY” NEWSPAPER IN BROOKLYN, NEW YORK

A young man wearing a salvation army sweater (note the lettering on the garment), poses for his portrait at the Kopke studio in Brooklyn, New Yok. He is holding two newspapers, one of which is the “War Cry”. The “War Cry” is the official salvation army news publication. Its first publication date in the United States was 1881. I can not identify the second newspaper. Hopefully a member of the cabinet card gallery community (visitors) will be able to assist in identifying the name of the second newspaper.  To view other photographs by Kopke, click on the category “Photographer: Kopke”.

Published in: on October 26, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (2)  
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