LITTLE GIRL RIDING A GIANT TRICYCLE IN MONTEVIDEO, MINNESOTA

A little girl sits high atop a giant tricycle in this cabinet card photograph by Andreas Brandmo. Brandmo’s studio was located in Montevideo, Minnesota. The little girl won’t be able to ride very far on her  monster bike. Unfortunately her feet do not seem to reach the bike’s pedals. She also doesn’t look particularly comfortable on her perch, as she poses for the photographer. The 1900 United States census reveals that Brandmo was born in Norway in 1855. He came to the United States in 1882 and married his wife Martha in 1885. Apparently, Brandmo and his wife were producing children at a rapid pace. After 15 years of marriage, the couple had eight children spanning between three and twelve years of age. The census also indicated that Brandmo’s niece, Lucy Husaby, worked as a photographer in his studio. The family lived in Appleton, Minnesota. Research found that Brandmo operated his Montevideo studio between 1886 and 1896. It was also reported that he ran a gallery in Appleton in 1898. At some point he had a partner and their studio was named Brandmo & Lodgaard. The 1910 census reveals that Andreas Brandmo changed his name to Andrew Brandmo. Perhaps when he realized he had eight children and a wife depending on him, he changed his name and entered the Federal Witness Protection Program. More likely though, he probably Americanized his name for business purposes. The 1910 census also notes that his son Alf, had joined him in the business and was working as a photographer.

Published in: on February 9, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (1)  
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WOMAN IN CHAINS (STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA)

This cabinet card features a woman in chains. The previous sentence, and the title of this blog entry, may be misleading because the woman isn’t exactly in chains; instead, she is wearing a chain necklace. Don’t you hate those sensational headlines that are aimed to manipulate you to watch a particular news show, or read a certain newspaper? Sorry! This lady’s name is “Emmie” according to a notation on the reverse of the cabinet card. She is thin, pretty and curly haired. The chain she is wearing has a pin attached to her collar and also has a charm or locket. Ironically, the charm resembles a  modern day pet identification tag. This image was photographed by Batchelder of Stockton, California. Perez Mann Batchelder (1818-1873) was a daguerreotypist, ambrotypist, and photographer active in a number of areas in California, including Sonora, Stockton, Vallecito, Murphy’s Camp, and Mokelumne Hill. He also operated studios in Melbourne, Australia (he followed the gold rush occurring down under) and Boston, Massachusetts. He worked in all of these locales over a short period of time. He clearly did not let moss grow under his feet. Batchelder with his brothers Nathaniel, Freeman, and Benjamin Pierce founded a daguerreian dynasty which in the 1850’s and 1860’s established dozens of galleries on both coasts of the United States and in Australia. Batchelder travelled incessantly and operated many enterprises simultaneously. He was born in Massachusetts and entered photography as a career in 1844. The book, “Pioneer Photographers of the Far West: A Biographical Dictionary” (2000) was the source of much of the information about Perez Batchelder.

Published in: on February 8, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (6)  
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RADIANT ACTRESS: CISSY FITZ GERALD (ONE OF THE GAIETY GIRLS)

B. J. Falk, the celebrity photographer from New York City, produced this cabinet card portrait of Cissy Fitz Gerald (1873-1941). Fitz Gerald was an English American vaudeville and film actress, dancer, and singer. She appeared in both silent and sound films. Her first movie was made in 1896 by Thomas Edison. In 1914 she signed with the Vitagraph company. The IMDb lists a filmography of seventy films spanning from 1914-1932. Her movies included a film series entitled “Cissy”. Her nickname was “girl with the wink”. She is described by the website of the Victoria and Albert Museum (London, England) as one of the original “Gaiety Girls” of the 1890’s. These actresses tended to appear in the choruses of productions. The web based museum exhibit describes the “Gaiety Girls”  as “fashionable elegant young ladies and not at all like the corseted actresses from the burlesques”. The exhibit also declares that the “Gaiety Girls” were polite, beautifully dressed and well behaved young women, who were much sought after by the ‘stage door Johnnies’ of the 1890’s”. As apparent in the photograph; Ms Fitz Gerald was quite a beautiful woman and had a beautiful smile. She was, simply put, a radiant woman. This photograph was formerly owned by Culver Service, a company that commercially provided celebrity photos  to different modes of media. The photographs reverse has a stamp indicating ownership by the Culver company. To view other photographs by B. J. Falk, click on the category “Photographer: Falk”.

Published in: on February 7, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (2)  
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PRETTY AND FASHIONABLE IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

A very pretty woman poses for her portrait at the studio of  well known photographer, Joseph W. Gehrig. Gehrig plied his trade in Chicago, Illinois. To view other photographs by Gehrig, click on the category “Photogapher: Gehrig”. The woman in this photograph is beautifully dressed. she is wearing leather gloves and a wonderful feathered hat. She appears to be holding a purse. She gives the appearance of a woman of means and it is likely that she was a member of Chicago’s high society.

Published in: on February 6, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (1)  
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MAE BRANSON: PROVOCATIVELY POSES IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

A sexy, busty, and leggy, blonde Mae Branson poses for celebrity photographer, William McKenzie Morrison, in Chicago, Illinois. The photographer’s studio was located in the Haymarket Theatre Building. To learn more about this well known photographer, click on the category “Photographer: Morrison”. A stamp on the reverse of this photograph indicates that the cabinet card  was formerly owned by Culver Pictures. Culver was located in New York City, and for a fee, provided images to newspapers, films, and other forms of media. Research yielded little biographical information about stage beauty, Miss Branson. The National Police Gazette (1892) reports the bathing exploits of four actresses at Long Brauch. The article was written in poetry form and the verses included the following lines: “and in the surf she daily dips in jaunty bathing dress; That fits her like a glovelet – not an inch the more or less”. The actresses described were Minnie Seligman, Geraldine McCann, Della Fox, and Mae Branson. The site of the sexy swimming exhibition was likely Long Branch, New Jersey;  “Long Brauch” was likely a misspelling. It appears that MTV’s reality TV show, “Jersey Shore“, is a remake; because there seems to have been plenty of provocativeness at the Jersey Shore in 1892.  Mae Branson’s name also appears in an article in a Maine newspaper,  The Lewiston Daily Sun (1893). The article appeared in the Music and Drama section. A review of the play “1492” describes Miss Branson as exhibiting “agreeable singing and artistic work” which obtained “prompt and hearty recognition”.  (SOLD)

Published in: on January 29, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (3)  
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ATTRACTIVE COUPLE IN TORONTO, CANADA

This photograph, by Thomas E. Perkins, features an attractive formally dressed couple. The woman is very photogenic. Her dress is very styled and detailed  Her husband appears very intense. The photographer was based in Toronto, Canada. His studio was located at 293 Younge Street. In the 1880’s Perkins employed a fledgeling photographer, William H. Gardiner. Later in his career, Gardiner became well known for his photographic work on Mackinac Island, Michigan.

Published in: on January 28, 2012 at 2:03 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PRETTY WOMAN IN PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA (1885)

A pretty woman poses for her portrait at the Dunshee Studio in Philadelphia, Pennslvania. The studio was located across the street from the U. S. Mint. The subject’s dress has a very lacy collar and she is wearing an elaborate belt. Note the buttons on the side of her skirt. This arrangement of buttons is not commonly seen on dresses in cabinet card photographs. Her figure is improved by the corset that she is wearing. Print on the reverse of the photograph indicates that the image was produced in 1885. To view other photographs by Edward Sidney Dunshee, and learn more about his history, click on the category, “Photographer: Dunshee”.

Published in: on January 26, 2012 at 12:01 am  Leave a Comment  
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WIDE-EYED BABY IN GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN

A wide eyed baby is photographed by F. W. Schneider, in Green Bay, Wisconsin. the baby is lying on fur and wearing a long gown. The book, “A History of Brown County, Wisconsin, Past and Present Vol. 2” (1913) reveals that Schneider was born and raised in Niederschelden, Germany. He emigrated to the United States in 1868 and settled in Green Bay in 1874. Schneider operated a photographic gallery until 1911, when his son, C. Alvin Schneider, succeeded  him. “The Bulletin of Photography” (1922), noted F. W. Schneider’s death from heart disease. Schneider was 68 years old at the time of his death, and it was reported that he had operated his studio for 38 years. An interesting side note about Green Bay is that it was established in 1634 by the French as a small trading post. The town’s original name was “La Baie des Puants” (“The Stinking Bay”).

Published in: on January 24, 2012 at 12:01 am  Leave a Comment  
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THREE GRADUATES POSE IN PARIS………………(PARIS, KENTUCKY)

Three young women pose for their graduation portrait in Paris, Kentucky. Judging their age by their appearance, the girls are likely graduating from high school or college. It is interesting to note that each girls graduation gown is slightly different from the others. It is also notable that there is no backdrop in this image; the photographer used curtains instead. Perhaps the photograph was taken outside of the photographer’s studio and he took the curtains with him to the site of the graduation. This image was produced by a photographer named Gibson. Research reveals no additional biographical information concerning Mr. Gibson.

Published in: on January 22, 2012 at 12:01 am  Leave a Comment  
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YOUNG COUPLE LACKS INTIMACY IN MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA

A young couple poses for their portrait at the studio of photographer, H. Larson, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.                The gentleman has long hair and glasses.  He has a scholarly appearance. The woman’s  figure is improved by a corset. She appears uncomfortable, illustrated behaviorally by the position of her arms and hands on her abdomen. This couple appears emotionally separated from each other. There is no intimacy captured in this photograph. Although the couple is posed together, they do not seem to be together. Perhaps the couple is really not physically together in the studio and this image was doctored by the photographer, who added the gentleman to an existing photograph of the woman. Herman Larson was a Swedish immigrant who came to America through Sweden in the early 1900’s. In Sweden, he held a degree of Master Photographer and was knighted by the King of Sweden for his excellent work there in the late 1800’s. In 1904 he established his photography studio in downtown Minneapolis. Much of Larson’s work came from the theological, church and public schools in the area. The studio remains in business today and its web site discloses that it still possesses Larson’s panoramic circuit camera. The site also reports that Larson semi retired in the early 1950’s.To view other photographs by Larson, click on the category “Photographer: Larson”.

Published in: on January 18, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (1)  
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