A young witch prepares for take-off with her trusty broom. The photograph must have been taken around the time of Halloween. In reality, this photograph is a portrait of a young child posing with a broom. The child’s clothing, though appropriate for the era, resembles the garb of a witch. The child is wearing a necklace and a bracelet which favors the likelihood that the child is a girl. The photographer of this image is B. A. Ford of Braidwood, Illinois. Ford was a photographer of note in Illinois. He was a documenter of the early history of coal fields in his town. In 1879 he advertised for an apprentice for his busy studio. Many of his subjects were miners or members of miner’s families. In an 1885 ad he offered to give free advice to his customers so that they may learn the art of hand tinting. Ford’s community of Braidwood was located 53 miles southwest of Chicago, Illinois. In 1864, a family digging for water, found coal and soon a mining community sprouted. The town was called Keeversville. James Braidwood was an early resident and he became the superintendent of the sinking of the first deep mine shaft. In 1873, the town was named in his honor.
CHILD WITCH IN BRAIDWOOD, ILLINOIS
LADY AND A PUG
This cabinet card features a portrait of a well dressed lady and her pug. The woman is wearing a flower hat and is holding an umbrella with one hand, and petting her dog with the other hand. The photographer is unknown and would likely be known if this image wasn’t glued incorrectly on the card stock. The top of the image is glued to the bottom of the card. The viewer can see some partial printed letters showing above the top of the image. Perhaps the photographer had no card stock with his studio’s name and used old card stock from the studio’s previous owner. The photographer may have intentionally covered up the name and address of the studio so it would not get false credit for producing the image. Incidentally, there seems to be many cabinet card photographs featuring pugs. They must have been a popular breed at the turn of the century and certainly have made a resurgence during recent times.
INTENSE FAMILY PORTRAIT IN IMPERIAL RUSSIA
This cabinet card photograph captures a family in Imperial Russia. The father looks extremely intense and the mother is certainly not far behind the father in intensity level. The father actually appears angry. This couple has been very busy. They have six young children, all close in age. They must have faced a lot of pressure to support such a large family. The photographer is Von Gotleb and the studio was located in Moscow.
HANDSOME BEARDED OLDER MAN IN CORTLAND, NEW YORK
This cabinet card features a handsome older man. He was photographed by Louis Silverman of Cortland, New York. The gentleman has a well groomed beard and hairstyle. Louis Silverman was a native of Poland, and emigrated to England, and then, Cortland. He was married to Rachel (Gans) Silverman. He was of the Jewish faith. The photographer was known for other reasons besides his photography business. It appears that Mr. Silverman decided that there was more money to be made in banking than in photography. He became a banker; the owner of Fidelity Bank in New York City. Also of note is that Silverman’s son, Sime Silverman (1872-?), founded and published Variety Magazine in 1905. He borrowed the seed money from his father-in-law. Sime’s father did not approve of Vaudeville Reviews and refused to back his son’s venture.
PRETTY AND UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS POSES ON BROADWAY
A young woman poses for her portrait at the studio of Anderson, in New York City. She is beautifully dressed and extremely attractive. Unfortunately, she is unidentified. It is likely that a woman with such great beauty and poise, photographed by celebrity photographer, D. H. Anderson; is an actress. There is a name written on the reverse of the cabinet card. The handwriting is not clearly legible but it appears to say “Marjorcni”. Research has yielded no relevant information pertaining to identifying this image. Assistance in identifying the person in this photograph would be appreciated. The knowledgeable and helpful visitors to the cabinet card gallery have solved a number of similar mysteries in the past.
PORTRAIT OF A PORTUGUESE FAMILY IN BOMBAY, INDIA (THE WORLD WAS FLAT EVEN BACK IN THE 1880’S)
Thomas Friedman’s best selling book “The World is Flat” was published in 2005. This cabinet card photograph demonstrates that the world has been flat for a number of centuries. This image features a Portuguese family and their maid, posing for their portrait in Bombay, India. It is likely that their maid is Indian, given their location at the time of the photograph. The family consists of parents and their three sons. Five first names are written on the reverse of the cabinet card, but they can not be listed, because of legibility and language barriers. The photograph is dated 1888. The photographer is Joseph D. Coutinho of Bombay, India.
A MAN AND HIS BIKE IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
This cabinet card features a young man posing with his bicycle. His “ride” is very “tricked out”. Check out the accessories. The bike has a large headlight and something that looks like a “fanny pack” hanging from the seat. Hopefully, a visitor to the cabinet card gallery can explain the purpose of the “fanny pack”. Visitor feedback would also be appreciated concerning the gentleman’s necktie. One hesitates to call it a necktie because it seems to be a collection of items including cotton balls, and possibly, a small round framed photograph. The tie is sort of like a “charm tie”. The gentleman’s cap looks great and will help keep his hair in place while riding. The photographer is Lewitz whose studio was located in Chicago, Illinois. Research found two photographers in Chicago sharing the name of Lewitz. Charles Lewitz operated a studio at 1643 North Robey Street. This address was next door to where this cabinet card was photographed; indicating that Charles was the likely photographer of this image. However, life is rarely that simple. Complicating matters is the fact that Emil Lewitz was a photographer who had a gallery at 1843 North Robey Street. Most likely, Charles and Emil were related and ran all three studios, each one at different points of time. It appears that the photographer of this cabinet card was an enterprising man. An advertisement on the reverse of the card notes “Photographs Taken of Houses and Groups”. To view other photographs by the Lewitzs’, click on the category “Photographer: Lewitz”.
MEMORIAL CARD BY MOSHER OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
This cabinet card served as a memorial to the gentleman pictured in the image. The photograph was taken by the Mosher Gallery of Chicago, Illinois. The cabinet card is dated 1891. This cabinet card is particularly interesting because the Brisbois International Memorial Portrait Company is also listed as producing the photograph. Research revealed no information about the Brisbois Company. Was Brisbois a subsidiary of Mosher’s gallery? Printed on the center bottom of the card, is an advertisement stating that the Memorial Portraits could be purchased at the cost of five dollars per dozen. It seems rather unseemly that the studio would put prices on the front of actual Memorial Cards purchased by grieving families. It is possible that this cabinet card was used as a sample to help sell Memorial Portraits to customers. Mosher was a well known and talented photographer. To learn more about him, click on the category “Photographer: Mosher”.
A EUROPEAN SOLDIER AND HIS BRIDE
A soldier and his bride pose for their wedding portrait at the studio of Balde, located in either Salzburg, Wildbad, Gastein, Znaim or Retz. These cities are located in different countries; Austria, Germany and Czech Republic. The studio was formerly known as Wagner & Leeb. The soldier in this photograph has been identified as German by the former owner of the image, but the accuracy of this identification is uncertain. The bride is holding flowers and dressed in a bridal dress. The groom is in his dress uniform. Note that his helmet is on the table beside him. The cabinet card gallery must depend on its helpful and informed unpaid research department (composed of visitors to the site) to identify the groom’s army affiliation and rank.
ATTRACTIVE COUPLE IN HOLYOKE, MASSACHUSETTS
This cabinet card features an attractive couple posing for their portrait at the studio of W. B. Miles, in Holyoke, Massachusetts. The gallery was located at 151 High Street. The attractive and shapely young woman is wearing a corset and beautiful dress. The gentleman is holding a walking stick; and a chain from his pocket watch is evident under his jacket.To view other photographs by Mr. Miles, click on the category “Photographer: Miles”.
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 