ADORABLE SIBLINGS AND THEIR TOYS IN CANELONES, URUGUAY

The previous owner of this cabinet card asserts that the photographer, Pablo Paladino, operated a photographic studio in Canelones, Uruguay. I have been unable to find confirmation of that claim. The nationality of the cabinet card may be a mystery but it is very clear that this is a wonderful portrait of two young children. They are likely siblings. The boy is siting on a wooden toy horse. The horse is nicely detailed. Note the mane and bridle. The little girl has a doll posed next to her. The girl has a fancy hair band and is wearing a bracelet. The little boy is wearing a cap that has what looks like an anchor design. He, like many little boys of his time, is dressed in the style of a sailor. Hopefully, a visitor to the cabinet card gallery may have some information about photographer Pablo Paladino and will leave a comment with some of his biographical information.

Published in: on July 6, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (2)  
Tags: , , ,

FAMILY OF THREE ON THE ROCKS IN NEW YORK CITY

This cabinet card features a terrific family portrait that may have been taken outside the photographer’s studio. Take a close look at the facial expressions of each of the family members. Dad looks very intense and displeased. Sonny boy is a chip off of the old block. His expression can best be described as sour. Mom looks like she is a lot more fun. She appears to be holding back a smile and has a twinkle in her eyes. The photographer of this image is H. Herbert Sidman. His studio was located at 147 East 116th Street in New York City, New York. Advertising printing on the reverse of the photograph boasts that the studio does “Out-door Work” in addition to the standard “Interiors and Flash-Light Pictures”. If this photograph was indeed taken outside, perhaps it was taken in Central Park. The park was certainly in existence at the time that this photograph was taken.  Central Park is a public park located in the center of Manhattan. It was opened in 1857 on 843 acres and and expansion, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux began in 1858 and was completed in 1873. Research yielded little information about H. H. Sidman. The American Amateur Photographer (1904) carried a story that announced the death of  Sidman and described him as a “well known architectural photographer”. Other references were found confirming Sidman was very involved in the field of architectural photography.

Published in: on July 5, 2012 at 12:01 am  Leave a Comment  
Tags: , , , , ,

RUFUS B. COWING: NEW YORK CITY JUDGE AND WALL STREET LAWYER

This cabinet card portrait features Rufus Billings Cowing, New York City Judge and Wall Street lawyer. The photograph was published  by Fredricks whose studio was located at Broadway and Ninth Street in New York City, New York. The New York Times (1906) reported Judge Cowing’s retirement from the bench of the Court of General Sessions. He had served for 28 years and had been involved in some sensational criminal and political corruption cases. His career was intertwined with the history of New York City. After leaving the courts, he entered private practice by joining his son’s firm on Wall Street. Cowing was born in Jamestown, New York in 1840. Cowing’s father died when Cowing was just 5 years old. At age 12, he came to New York City where he attended boarding school until he entered the Polytechnic Institute in Brooklyn from which he graduated in 1861. Next, he clerked at a bank for a short while and then decided to enter a law career. He worked for and studied at a New York City law firm for about two years and then entered Harvard University’s Law School, graduating in 1865. He practiced law in New York City and got involved in politics. He had an unsuccessful run for an assembly seat in 1875. He ran as a Republican in a heavily Democratic district and nearly won. Cowing was married twice and had children from both unions. He was married to Hester Tugnot (1866) and Marie Ling (1901). Cowing died in 1920. Charles DeForest Fredricks, the photographer of this image, was a well known New York City photographer who was known to have photographed many celebrities during his career.

Published in: on July 3, 2012 at 12:01 am  Leave a Comment  
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

ATTRACTIVE SWINGERS IN NAPOLEON, OHIO

This cabinet card features a handsome couple that likes to swing. The husband is a hunk and the wife is pretty. Both are dressed well. Wait a minute! Where is your mind taking you? I’m not referring to that kind of swinging.  I’m talking about playground type swinging, like kids do.  The photographer of this image is G. W. Gardner & Son: “Photographic And Portrait Artists”. The Gardner studio was located in Napoleon, Ohio. Apparently, many people liked to swing during the cabinet card era and you can see a number of photographs of swingers by clicking on Cabinet Card Gallery’s category “Swing”. George W. Gardner was born about 1829 in Cayuga County, New York. He began as a daguerreotype artist in Seneca County, Ohio in about 1850. He moved to Napoleon in 1865 and operated a studio from about 1870 until about 1900. He was assisted by his son George W. from about 1880 through about 1900. (George W.  following in his fathers footsteps is reminiscent of  another George W. following in his father’s footsteps slightly more than a century later). Later a second son, Cecil L. (1875-1960), followed his father and brother’ career path (are you reading this, Jeb?). George W. Jr also had two children enter the photography business in Napoleon.  Joseph Gardner (1873-?) was a photographer and Mary D. Gardner was a photo retoucher. Both were active in 1900. To view other photographs by the Gardner studio, click on the category “Photographer: Gardner”.

Published in: on July 2, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (3)  
Tags: , , , , , ,

LILLIE PRUSH: BEAUTIFUL ACTRESS OR BEAUTIFUL SCHOOL TEACHER

The beautiful woman in this cabinet card portrait is unidentified despite the existence of evidence that should facilitate identification. One possibility is that the subject of this photograph is an actress. Evidence pointing toward the acting profession include her beauty as well as the fact that she was photographed by D. H. Anderson, a renowned New York City theatre photographer. Obviously not all beautiful women are actresses and Anderson didn’t exclusively photograph theatre stars. Further evidence exists that points the search for the subjects identity in another direction. An inscription on the reverse of the photograph reveals the subjects name, “Lillie Prush”. However, life is rarely that easy; there is a complication. Due to legibility issues, the inscription might actually read “Lillie Roush” or “Lillie Raush”. I contend that the name is “Lillie Prush” and the 1880 US Census finds a Lillie Prush living in New York City. Miss Lillie was a school teacher. She was born in 1859 and lived with her parents and brother. Her father, J. E. Prush, owned a furnishing store and her brother was a civil engineer. If this photograph is an image of Miss Lillie, a New York City school teacher, than she must have certainly commanded the attention of the older boys in her classes. There must have been a lot of crushes in her classroom. Here is one final observation. Note the ivy pinned to the shoulder and back of Lillie’s dress. Do you think this small prop adds to or detracts from the photograph? To view other photographs by Anderson, click on category “Photographer: Anderson (New York)”.

Published in: on July 1, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (2)  
Tags: ,

A HANDSOME KNIGHT IN BUFFALO, NEW YORK (KNIGHTS TEMPLAR)

A handsome young man poses in his fraternal organization uniform at the studio of Edward Landsheft in Buffalo, New York. The previous owner of this cabinet card asserted that the uniform represents the Knights Templar, though I can not confirm his opinion as fact.  The subject of this image is holding a sword. Note the knights head on the sword pommel. Also worthy of notice are the crown and cross on his gloves and the initials “OPK” on his belt buckle. It is unknown whether “OPK” represents the man’s initials or is related to something specific in the Knights Templar culture.

Published in: on June 30, 2012 at 12:00 am  Comments (2)  
Tags: , , ,

PERPLEXED YOUNG WOMAN POSES IN A CHAIR IN GLAUCHAU OR WALDENBURG, GERMANY

A photographer named Alvin Dietrich photographed this perplexed looking young woman sitting in a chair. Dietrich had photography studios in Glauchau and Waldenburg, Germany. The woman is wearing a hair band and a bow. She is not wearing jewelry. Note the flowers pinned near the top of her dress. A newspaper sits on a table behind her.

Published in: on June 29, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (1)  
Tags: , ,

LITTLE GIRL PUSHING DOLL IN CARRIAGE POSES IN FRONT OF AMATEURISH BACKDROP

The little girl featured in this cabinet card is absolutely adorable in her pose pushing her doll in a baby carriage. The backdrop in this photograph is absolutely not adorable. The screen is so amateurish that it looks like it was painted by a group of the subject’s classmates. The photographer of this image has the last name of Mead. Unfortunately, the location of his studio is unknown. It is an unusual occurrence that the name of the photographer is listed on the cabinet card without an address of the studio. After all, photographers used cabinet cards as free advertising by listing their location and special talents. The reverse of the cabinet card has an inscription that indicates that the subject of this portrait is named “Mamie Cole (Griffis)”. There were many Mamie Coles, Mamie Griffiths, and photographers named Mead living in the United States during the cabinet card era. It is impossible, with available information, to truly identify both subject and photographer. It is interesting to note that there was a photographer in the Dakota Territories name Josiah J. Mead and a woman named Mamie Cole who was born in South Dakota in 1894.

Published in: on June 28, 2012 at 12:43 am  Comments (3)  
Tags: , , ,

A WOMAN AND HER BOOK IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

A thinnish young woman poses for her portrait at the studio of H. Huebner in Chicago, Illinois. She is dressed nicely and hopefully a visitor to the Cabinet Card Gallery can tell us more about her dress. The design of the dress seems unusual and I am particularly interested in what material the dress is made from. The young woman is holding an open book.The previous owner of this image hypothesized that the subject of this photograph was a school teacher.

 

Published in: on June 27, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (2)  
Tags: , ,

VEILED WOMAN IN LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA

A veiled woman poses for her portrait at the studio of Otto E. Weber’s New York Gallery. Contrary to common sense, the New York Gallery was not located in New York. Weber operated his studio out of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The veil, or head scarf, is beautifully knitted. It looks very soft. Note the white bow on top of the unidentified woman’s head. The Biographical Annals of Lancaster County (1903) reports that Weber (1857-1913) was one of the finest photographers in Pennsylvania. He was of German extraction and came to the United States with his parents in 1878. He opened his photography studio in Lancaster in about 1888. Weber served four years in the National Guard of Pennsylvania. The Annals state that Weber was a great lover of “manly sports” and expert with both shotgun and rifle. Another reference asserts that Weber operated his Lancaster studio between 1890 and 1906.

Published in: on June 26, 2012 at 12:01 am  Leave a Comment  
Tags: , , , ,
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »