This cabinet cad features a somewhat attractive young lady posing at a photographic studio, in Bangor, Maine. The profile image reveals an interesting hairstyle that includes braids. The photographer was George Lausil.
SOMEWHAT ATTRACTIVE YOUNG WOMAN IN BANGOR, MAINE
FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHED BY “THE TWO JOHNS” IN LINCOLN, NEBRASKA
A couple and their two young children pose for the photographer at the “The Two Johns” studio in Lincoln, Nebraska. The couple is dressed in western clothing. The woman’s outfit looks suspiciously like a salvation army uniform. The woman is holding an umbrella. The little girls couldn’t be sitting any closer. Their straw hats can be seen on the floor. Note how elaborate the backdrop is in this photograph.
CLASS PHOTO IN FRONT OF RURAL SCHOOLHOUSE IN PRAGUE, NEBRASKA
This cabinet card offers a glimpse back into historical times of the American education system. This image dates back before “teaching for the test” was standard policy for many school districts. Sixteen children are posed in front of their schoolhouse. Their young teacher stands behind his class. The children seem to have dressed nicely for “picture day”, but at least a couple of the boys are barefoot. F. H.Svoboda was the photographer of this image and his studio was located in Prague, Nebraska. At one time, Svoboda published the first, and only, Czech juvenile magazine in Nebraska. He was a school teacher and later engaged in photography. In 1909, he began to publish the Schuyler Messenger, which existed until 1920. The Messenger was a weekly newspaper in Schuyler, Nebraska. The town of Prague has an interesting history. Its early inhabitants included many Czech settlers who arrived in America seeking prosperity during the 1880’s. In 1887, the town was built to support a newly established railroad station. The town was built by the Lincoln Land Company and became a thriving community catering to the agricultural economy of the area. The largest business in the town was a lumberyard. The town’s name, Prague, is named after the capital city of Czechoslovakia.
PRETTY AND VIVACIOUS YOUNG WOMAN WITH UNUSUAL HAIRSTYLE IN BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
This cabinet card features an attractive young woman with a great smile. She gives the appearance of someone very vivacious. She is beautifully dressed and her hair is very long and worn in a style that can best be described as a “hair pile”. One wonders how much time it would take her to dry her hair after bathing. Were hair dryers available to this pretty long tressed lady? Most readers will be surprised to learn that this portrait was likely taken after the invention of the hair dryer. Hair dryers were invented in 1890 by Alexandre Goldefroy. He drew his inspiration from vacuum cleaners. Goldefroy owned a hair salon in France; and his patrons sat under the hair dryer. Hand held hair dryers were invented in the 1920’s. The photographer of this image is Kozmata Ferencz (1846-1902), located in Budapest, Hungary. To view other photographs by Ferencz, a celebrated Hungarian photographer, click on the category “Photographer: Ferencz”.
DISTINGUISHED OLDER MAN WITH HALF A BEARD IN BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
This cabinet card features the portrait of a gray haired older man with an appearance problem. He apparently had a great deal of ambivalence about whether he should grow a beard. In a flash of brilliance, he decided to grow a half a beard, the bottom half. He is a distinguished looking man and no one could look as good as he does, with half a beard. This photograph is a fine example of creative facial hair styles; therefore it earns its place in Cabinet Card Gallery’s category of “Beards (Only the Best)”. This image was photographed by Chamberlain of Boston, Massachusetts.
EIGHT ATHLETIC LOOKING BLOKES IN SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
This cabinet card is a portrait of eight very athletic looking men. The men are dressed very similarly. Their pants appear to be identical and they each are wearing a wide white belt around their waists. The image presents a number of questions. Are these Aussie blokes wearing a uniform? Are they members of a sports team? Are they wearing work clothing and all share the same occupation? Hopefully some Cabinet Card Gallery visitors will leave a comment that gives their opinion as to the answers to the aforementioned questions. The photographer of this image is Herbst of Sydney, Australia. He is mentioned in a number of Sydney newspapers published in the 1890’s. Advertisements for his studio appear in the newspapers, and there is mention of some of the notables he photographed.
MISS JANE COOMBS: EARLY AMERICAN THEATRE ACTRESS
Jane Coombs (1842-?) was an American actress who made a sensational debut during the 1855-1856 theatre season. She starred opposite Edwin Forrest at New York’s Broadway Theatre. In 1861 she starred in a production at the Haymarket Theatre in London, England. The New York Times (1864) describes a graceful tribute to “the charming actress”. The Nebraska State Journal (1894) published a very insulting article about the actress. The article reports that a man stole large packages with Miss Coombs name printed on them, from a hotel baggage room. Apparently, he was hoping to find diamonds in the packages. Upon opening the packages he found two thousand billboard portraits of Miss Coombs. The journal concludes that “Anybody who has had the doubtful pleasure of beholding Miss Coombs, will sympathize with the thief, and decide that in this case, his punishment was greater than his crime”. The author of this article, may be gifted with a sense of humor, but his description of Jane Coombs, at age 52, is certainly quite cruel. She certainly does not look unattractive in this cabinet card portrait by Napoleon Sarony. Sarony was a famed celebrity photographer in New York. Other images by Sarony can be viewed by clicking on the category “Photographers: Sarony”.
FIVE PRETTY LITTLE GIRLS IN ARLINGTON, SOUTH DAKOTA
This cabinet card is a portrait of five pretty little girls in Arlington, South Dakota. The photographer, Glendenning, demonstrated talent, in the way he posed the children in this photograph. The girls are dressed in similar dark dresses and two are wearing necklaces with crosses. South Dakota became a state in 1889; therefore this cabinet card was photographed after 1889.
ADORABLE LITTLE GIRL IN WAUBEEK, IOWA
This cabinet card features a very adorable young girl. She is standing on a fur draped chair and wearing a fancy dress. A hair ribbon decorates her hair and adds to her “cutie pie” appearance. Handwriting on the reverse of the photograph identifies the child as “Elva Hemenway”. The 1900 Federal Census identifies a seven year-old named Elva L.Hemenway, who resided in Linn County, Iowa. Waubeek is in Linn County. The photographer is H. L. Warner of Waubeek, Iowa.
PRETTTY WOMAN IN PHILIPPOPOLI, BULGARIA
A pretty and beautifully dressed woman poses for her portrait at the studio of Cavra, located in Philippopoli (Plovdiv), Bulgaria. The street address of the studio was Grand Rue De Chemin De Fer. The woman is wearing a wonderful hat and earrings. A piece of jewelry on her collar features a portrait of an attractive woman. The subject of this photograph is wearing a glove on her right hand and she is holding a second glove in her left hand. Note that she is holding a walking stick with her gloved hand. To view other photographs by Cavra, and to learn more about Philippopoli, click on the category “Photographer: Cavra”.
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 