This cabinet card photograph captures two young men posing with their bicycles. They are wearing similar and unusual outfits. it looks like they are wearing the predecessor to “hoodies”. However, rather than hoods, it appears that they are wearing capes. Both guys are also wearing flowers pinned to their chest. Are these fellows about to ride in a parade? Are they wearing typical bike riding outfits? Hopefully, a visitor to the cabinet card gallery will leave an informative comment concerning the subjects outfits. The photographer of this image is M. R. Cole of Peck, Michigan. Cole is listed in a 1904 Michigan directory as a photographer and a jeweler.
TWO YOUNG MEN POSE WITH THEIR BIKES AND UNUSUAL RIDING CLOTHES IN PECK, MICHIGAN
MILITARY MARKSMAN IN MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN
This cabinet card features a young soldier in his uniform. He is a member of the Wisconsin 4th Infantry, Company D. He is wearing a kepi on his head and a fatigue coat. His uniform displays a number of marksman badges. The photographer is Herman A. Feiker of Milkwaukee, Wisconsin. Research is incomplete, but, reveals that he operated a photography studio during 1889 and 1890. In 1889 he was partners with George Raab in running a studio at 1102 Walnut, in Milwaukee. Records indicate that Feiker married Mina Horstman in 1887.
CROSS DRESSER IN MONTEZUMA, IOWA (AND SO IS LOLA)
The previous owner of this cabinet card believed that the woman in the image may be a man. Perhaps the jacket and tie that she is wearing is the predominant evidence that she/he is a cross dresser. I am not very convinced that the subject of this photograph is a man, but it certainly is a possibility. Never forget the wise words of the well respected group of philosophers known as the Kinks; “Well I’m not the world’s most masculine man, but I know what I am, and I’m glad I’m a man, so is Lola”. An interesting side note is that the photographer of this image, Will C. Fryatt, is responsible for a number of other unusual photographs taken at his studio in Montezuma, Iowa. It is entirely possible that Fryatt never took the photograph, but instead, bought the rights to sell it at his studio. There is also a possibility that the individual in this image is an actor/actress from a touring theatre company. Another mystery that this cabinet card presents is as follows: Why does a town in Iowa get named after an Aztec Emperor of Mexico? Stay tuned, research is in progress. A visitor to the cabinet card gallery commented that the woman in this cabinet card looked very much like male impersonator, Ella Wesner (1851-1917) who was popular in the 1880’s. She was a part of the Gilded Age vaudeville circuit. You can view an image of Miss Wesner below. The assertion that the portraits of the two women in these photographs look similar, is very true. Do you think that they are one and the same person?
TWO HOTEL MAIDS IN CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE
This occupational cabinet card features two women posing with supplies of their trade. The women are likely hotel maids, or house servants. One maid is holding a broom, while the other is holding a glass and what appears to be, a clean towel. The photographer of this image is F. A. Dow of Concord, New Hampshire.
PRETTY WOMAN HOLDING A PRETTY FAN, IN WERSCHETZ, SERBIA
A pretty woman poses for photographer, Ivan Rigyitsky in Werschetz. Werschetz (German name) is a town in Serbia. It is known as Vrsac in Serbia. The town has been under the rule of several different governments over modern times. It was once part of Austria-Hungary. This image has some interesting features. The woman is dressed very fashionably and she is holding an open beautiful fan. Note the lovely scene pictured on the fan. The young lady has a nice figure, with the help of a corset, no doubt.
OUTSTANDING PHOTOGRAPH OF A NATIVE AMERICAN MAN WITH A TURKEY VULTURE PERCHED ON HIS HEAD… (IS THIS IMAGE COUNTERFEIT OR GENUINE?)
This cabinet card is a terrific image of a Native American dressed in his tribal clothing. He has a bird on his head that looks as weathered as he does. The bird may be a turkey vulture. Hopefully, a visitor to this site with some ornithology knowledge, can better identify or confirm the bird’s species. What an amazing photograph? However, is it a counterfeit cabinet card? I located the cabinet card in an antique store and purchased it with a great deal of reluctance. Native American cabinet cards have a history of being a popular type of cabinet card to counterfeit, due to their potential high value and strong demand. There are a number of methods to make fake images. This photograph does not seem to be a product of a high tech copy machine. However, the image could be a Native American postcard pasted over an “ordinary” cabinet card image. This cabinet card, if not the image, is from the studio of C. S. Roshon of Lebanon, Pennsylvania. The photograph was produced in 1892. Perhaps a traveling western show was in the area of Lebanon; or perhaps Roshon purchased this image to sell at his galleries. The Roshon Galleries were located at 142 North 8th Street, and 22 South 9th street, in Lebanon. Roshon also had a studio somewhere in New Jersey. Any comments from Cabinet Card Gallery visitors, regarding the authenticity of this cabinet card, would be greatly appreciated. To view other photographs from Roshon’s studio, click on the category “Photographer: Roshon”.
WOMAN WEARING MASSIVE FUR COLLAR IN SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
A young woman poses for her photograph at Cobb’s Dore Gallery in San Francisco, California. The woman appears to have a live animal wrapped around her neck, but instead, she’s actually wearing a very intense fur collar. If she was living in modern day San Francisco, she would be a likely target for a lecture, or a paint job, from a PETA member. David Cobb was the proprietor of the Dore Gallery (1881-1889) at the time this photograph was produced. Prior to operating the Dore Gallery, he was a partner in the Edouart & Cobb studio, which was also located in San Francisco. To see other images by Cobb, click on the category “Photographer: Edouart & Cobb”.
HANDSOME BLACK MAN IN ELGIN, ILLINOIS
A good looking African American gentleman, wearing a checkered coat, poses for his portrait at the studio of I. V. Morrell, in Elgin, Illinois. There is an inscription with the subject’s name on the front of the photograph. His name is “John H. Grant”. The photographer’s full name is Isaac V. Morrell and he had studios located at various adrdesses in Elgin between 1894 and 1940.
YOUNG TENNIS PLAYER AND HIS TWO SISTERS
This cabinet card features a young boy holding a tennis racquet as he stands along side his two sisters. The children are adorable, but the youngest girl appears absolutely terrified. The boy is wearing a sailor suit outfit. The name of the photographer and the location of the studio is unknown.
PRETTY FRESHMAN CONGRESSMAN’S WIFE IN WASHINGTON D. C.
The pretty lady in the beaded dress is a congressman’s wife. Her husband is one of the freshman congressmen that just arrived in Washington D. C. to begin their term. They come to our capitol city flush with hopes of fulfilling their unrealistic campaign promises. It won’t take long for these new lawmakers to figure out that their main focus will be to devise ways to stay in office. Anyway, the lady in this photograph is filled with excitement. She has come to Washington with a different agenda than her idealistic husband. She is looking forward to the teas and the gala events that are so popular in this social city. She is preparing to meet the First Lady. That will be a real treat. Frances Folsom Cleveland is warm and beautiful. Her marriage to Grover Cleveland is quite the story. Grover Cleveland was the law partner of Frances Folsom’s father and knew Frances since her infancy. When Folsom died, Cleveland was the executor of his estate and he oversaw Frances’s mothers finances, as well as Frances’s education. After a scandal in which Cleveland was accused of fathering an illegitimate child; he proposed to Frances. She needed time to consider his offer and left for a European tour which included some considering. She returned to America and accepted his marriage proposal. They married in the White House, and she, at age twenty-one, became the youngest First Lady in American history. Anyway, the fine looking lady in this photograph went to G. W. Davis, to have this image taken. Davis has a studio at 925 Pennsylvania Avenue, in Washington D. C.. He also has a studio in Richmond, Virginia. Here comes the moment of truth. Everything written in this blog entry is accurate with just one exception. That exception concerns the identity of the woman in this photograph. As far as I know, she is not a congressman’s wife. Her true identity has been lost to history.
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 