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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BEAUTY WITH FINGERLESS GLOVES IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

A beautiful woman poses for her portrait at the Lewitz studio in Chicago, Illinois. She is surrounded by pretty flowers. She is wearing flowers on her dress and in her hair. There is also a floral treatment on the railing behind her. She is wearing a coat style dress and a lace blouse. She is also sporting fingerless gloves. This young woman spent some time at her jewelry box while preparing for this photograph. She appears to be wearing a necklace and a broach, although it may be a necklace with two pieces of jewelry attached. She is also wearing earrings. The photographer of this image is Emil Lewitz. To learn more about him and to view more of his photographs, click on the category, ‘Photographer: Lewitz’.    SOLD

Published in: on January 17, 2012 at 12:01 am  Leave a Comment  
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“ARE WE THERE YET?”, SAID THE WIFE, TO THE HUSBAND, ON THEIR RIDE TO NOWHERE (ISLE OF MAN)

A man and a woman, presumably, a married couple, pose for their portrait in a car that is going nowhere. This automobile is simply a photographer’s prop. The advantage of a married couple being in a car that is going nowhere, is that the man can’t get lost, and then deny it;  and the woman can’t keep telling him to stop and ask for directions. The pictured car is located in the photographic studio of Frederick Johnson. Johnson’s studio was in the town of Douglas, on the Isle of Man. He actually operated two studios there; the Fort William Studio, and the Express Bridge and Battery Studio. The Isle of Man is a self-governing British Crown Dependency located in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. At the time of this photograph, the Isle of Man was a major tourist attraction, and according to many accounts, tourists flocked to photographers during their vacations there. Not much information could be found about the photographer of this image. It is known however, that he operated a studio on the Isle of Man during 1881 through 1894. He may have also been there before, or after, the aforementioned years. As an aside, it is interesting to note that during the early days of automobiles in America, some photography studios were built that were designed to allow  patrons to drive their cars into the studio, and pose alone, or with their passengers, for portraits of them sitting in their cars. This practice was truly a reflection of the history of Americans love affair with their  automobiles.

Published in: on January 13, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (1)  
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STYLISH MOTHER AND SON MEET SAMSON IN DUISBURG, GERMANY

A stylish mother and son pose for a portrait at the studio of Samson & Company in Duisburg, Germany. Mom has an interesting beaded dress, and a pin on her collar. The son has perfectly combed hair, and is wearing a cute short suit. He seems to be a bit intimidated by his day at the photographer, and is likely happy to be standing so close to his mother. Duisburg is a city in Germany and is located in the western part of the Ruhr area. To view other photographs that may have been produced by this photographer, click on the category, “Photographer: Samson & Co.”. The tentativeness of the previous sentence is because the other Samson & Company photograph was not produced in Duisburg. In fact, the other photograph was created at a gallery in Karlsruhe, Germany. The different locations of the Samson galleries makes one wonder if both of these photographic studios were operated by the same photographer. The two galleries were located 187 miles (300.88 kms) apart.

Published in: on January 12, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (1)  
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NILES AND GRACE AND THEIR PET PUG IN LOWVILLE, NEW YORK (1889)

This cabinet card portrait of two children and their pet pug, illustrates the power of the internet in identifying subjects in antique photographs. The reverse of this photograph has some identity clues in an inscription that states “Niles 3 years  Grace 6 years  Jan 3rd 1889”.  Since the photographer of this image (W. G. Mandeville) worked out of Lowville, New York, it was assumed that  the children in the photograph lived in, or around, Lowville (located in the western foothills of the Adirondack Mountains). A search of the 1900 U.S. census (Lowville) was done for siblings named Niles and Grace. A listing for Niles and Grace Bateman was found and their ages were a match for the age information on the reverse of the cabinet card. Once establishing their identity, additional biographical data was obtained. At the time of the 1900 census, Grace was seventeen years old and Niles was thirteen. Their father was Carroll Bateman and he was a proprietor of a hotel. Their mother was named Jennie Ruggles Bateman. The 1910 U. S. census found Niles working as a clerk in his father’s hotel. The 1920 U.S. census reveals that Niles had become an “Automobile Agent” and was married to a woman named Vera. The 1930 census discloses some major changes in the life of Niles Bateman. He had two children (Walter and Barbara) and had become an “Automobile Dealer”. The photographer of this image, William Garrett Mandeville (1865-1944), is one of the subjects of Robert Ogden’s book, “Exposing the Wilderness: Early Twentieth Century Adirondack Postcards” (1999). Ogden considers Mandeville one of the best photographers of the genre of scenic postcards. Mandeville was born in New York, dropped out of school at sixteen years of age, and in 1883 went to work for photographer, Ogden Hotchkiss. Hotchkiss had a studio in Norwich, New York. To view photographs by Hotchkiss, click on Cabinet Card Gallery’s category of  “Photographer: Hotchkiss”. In 1886 Mandeville joined George W. Carter in operating a photography studio but he left the partnership that same year to run his own gallery. He married his wife, Bertha in 1886 and had a daughter (Dorothy). In the 1930 U. S. census, Mandeville, at 65 years of age,  was still listed as a photographer.

Published in: on January 11, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (3)  
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THREE YOUNG WOMEN IN BAD OEYNHAUSEN, GERMANY

Three pretty young women sit for their photograph at the studio of  C. Colberg in Bad Oeynhausen, Germany. This image was produced in 1905. The women may be sisters; there seems to be a shared resemblance. The women are well dressed, and are likely from a family of means. Bad Oeynhausen was a spa town at the time of this photograph. It was thought that the thermal salt spring there had healing powers. Perhaps these three women were photographed while on vacation to the spa community. Research reveals that Colberg was a royal court photographer.


Published in: on January 8, 2012 at 12:01 am  Leave a Comment  
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ANGELIC GIRL IN WINONA, MISSISSIPPI

This cabinet card portrait is by S. B. Terry of Winona, Mississippi. His subject is a young girl with an angelic expression. She is wearing a fancy elaborate hat with ostrich plumes. Her hair is styled with  sausage curls. She appears to be draped in white cloth. This portrait is very styled and atypical of many of the portraits of this era. The photographer, Sterling B. Terry was born in Mississippi circa 1862. He married his wife Anna in 1882. The 1900 census found him living in Winona with his wife (age 38), son William (age 15), and daughers Anne (age 11), Mary (age 10), and Clara (age 7). The 1900 and the 1910 census lists S. B. Terry’s occupation as “Photographer”. To view other photographs by this photographer, click on the category “Photographer: Terry”.   (SOLD)

Published in: on January 7, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (1)  
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MAN WITH A GREAT BEARD IN LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY

This cabinet card is a portrait of a middle aged man with a wonderful mustache and beard. The Cabinet Card Gallery has a collection of interesting facial hair cabinet cards which can be visited by clicking on the categories of “Beards (Only the Best)”  and “Mustaches (Only the Best)”. The photographer of this image is Louis Bergman, whose studio was located at 56 & 58 Market Street, in Louisville, Kentucky. Perusal of Louisville business directories reveals that Bergman began business with a partner. Bergman & Flexner; the firm was listed in the 1868 and 1869 directories. He was reported to be the sole proprietor of a studio from 1872 until 1886. Bergman was listed at a number of different addresses over these years. Using these addresses, it appears that this particular photograph was taken between 1873 and 1881. From 1886 through 1894 the proprietor of the studio became Caroline Bergman. The Photographic Times and American Photographer (1883) reported that Bergman was Vice President of the Photographers Mutual Benefit Society of Louisville. Louis Bergman (c1838-?) was born in Hanover, Germany to Prussian parents. His wife, Carrie (!845-?) was born in Louisiana to German parents. The couple married  in about 1865. The Bergman’s had a daughter, Lillie, who was 12 years-old at the time of the 1880 census. The census listed Louis as a photographer and Carrie as a homemaker. It is interesting to note that when the couples daughter reached 18 years of age, Carrie became the studio’s proprietor/photographer.

SOLD

Published in: on January 3, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (1)  
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