An attractive woman poses for her portrait at the Sanford studio in Danbury, Connecticut. The woman is fashionably and conservatively dressed. The photographer is E. Starr Sanford (1862-1917) and his studio was located at 57 White Street, in Danbury. Sanford partnered with Charles Henry Davis in 1892 to operate a very well respected photographic studio located at 462 Fifth Avenue in New York City, New York. Both men were amateur photographers in the 1880’s and they perfected their skills in club competitions. They pioneeered the colonization of Fifth Avenue by photographers. Sanford was from one of the founding families of Danbury, and Davis was a music critic for the New York Evening Post. They used their high society and theatrical community connections to build the success of their photographic studio. Sanford retired in 1901. In 1897 he decided to build a lavish summer home that he ultimately lived in for five years. His home was called Hearthstone Castle and now is included in the National Register of Historic Places. Research reveals that some references contend that Sanford was one of the early inventors of movie cameras. Sanford died a tragic death. In 1914, while on a ship to visit his son in Texas, his vessel was struck by lightening and he received a severe shock. The arteries in his eyes were severely damaged, and he died three years later. To view other photographs by Sanford, click on Cabinet Card Gallery’s category “Photographer: Sanford”.
ATTRACTIVE WOMAN IN DANBURY, CONNECTICUT ( PHOTOGRAPHED BY E. STARR SANFORD)
MAN, WOMAN AND STEREOSCOPE IN WESTFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS
A woman sits at a table holding a stereoscope and a man stands next to her with a stereoscopic card in his hand. Magnification of this image reveals that the stereoscopic card is a photograph of a building. The photographer of this cabinet card is named Deming and his studio was located in Westfield, Massachusetts.
PORTRAIT OF A SOUTHERN BELLE IN NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE
A pretty woman poses for her portrait at the Schleier studio in Nashville, Tennessee. The brooch on her lace collar indicates that her name is “Mattie”. She is also wearing a triangular brooch that appears to have a rose motif. Theodore M Schleier was a photographer is New Orleans between 1850 and 1860. He operated in Nashville beginning 1860. In New Orleans, he had a photographic gallery on Chartres Street, in 1857. At the beginning of that year, he was assaulted and badly injured when another New Orleans photographer, James Andrews, kicked in the gallery door, and attacked him with a poker. Andrews also destroyed much of Schleier’s equipment. Schleier’s name appears in a number of photography journals, including Anthony’s Photographic Bulletin (1886), where there is an announcement that his Nashville studio was for sale.
THREE CUTE SIBLINGS IN OSSIAN, IOWA
Three adorable siblings pose for their portrait at a photography studio in Ossian, Iowa. The children are wearing wonderful outfits. The young boy is wearing a sailor suit, and the older girl looks very cute in her dress. The youngest child has abundantly longish blonde hair. Research reveals that the photographer’s name is Gilbert G. Oyloe (1851-1927). Oyloe had a studio in Ossian during the 1880’s and 1890’s.
THREE ADULTS IN A BIZARRE POSE IN MITTWEIDA, GERMANY
This cabinet card captures three fashionable adults engaging in nonsensical behavior. It is difficult to assess what is happening in this photograph. Perhaps the threesome are actors in a play. The woman on the left appears to be wearing two purses, both have long leather straps. The woman on the right also seems to have a long leather strap hanging from her shoulders. What is the purpose of these leather straps? Hopefully, a visitor to this site will have the answer, or at least, a hypothesis. The photographer of this photograph was Richard Brand of Mittweida, Germany. It appears that Mr. Brand could have taken a better picture if he positioned himself closer to the subjects. Such a photographic strategy would have eliminated his photographing the edge of the floor mat in this photograph. This photograph was certainly not an image that Richard Brand could proudly exhibit. To view other images by this photographer, click on the category “Photographer: Richard Brand”.
ADORABLE SIBLINGS POSE FOR THEIR PORTRAIT IN DAVENPORT, IOWA
This cabinet card portrait captures two siblings posing for their portrait at the New York Art Gallery, in Davenport, Iowa. The photographer is M. M. Ormsby. Note the children’s hats. Big sister’s straw hat is next to her and it features a ring of daisies. Little brother is holding his hat and looks very cute in his bow tie. Both are dressed up in their finest for their day at the photographer’s studio.
TWO SIBLINGS AND A STEREOSCOPE IN PROVIDENCE OR OLNEYVILLE, RHODE ISLAND
This cabinet card is an image of two young siblings at play. The mischievous girl is standing on a chair and is draping a lace article over her brothers head as he looks into a stereoscope. In fact, the viewer may not be a stereoscope because only one eye piece is evident in the photograph and the image behind the viewer appear to be too small to be a stereoscopic card. Hopefully a visitor to this site can provide more confident and more accurate identification information concerning the viewer that the boy is holding. Be sure to note the wonderful clock located behind the children. The photograph is dated 1889 and was produced by William Mills & Son of Providence & Olneyville, Rhode Island. This image does not have good clarity, but the activities and objects presented in the photograph, make it worth viewing. Research revealed little about the photographer, but a photograph by this studio appeared in National Magazine (1908). The image showed a wagon full of barrels of oysters, being loaded onto a freight car that was going to take them from Providence to the west for distribution. To see other photographs by this studio, click on Cabinet Card Gallery’s category “Photographer: Mills”.
PORTRAIT OF A TEENAGE GIRL IN BELFAST, NEW YORK
This cabinet card features a teenage girl posing for her portrait at Brewer’s Art Studio, in Belfast, New York. She is wearing a fancy dress and flowers. She has wonderful wide eyes. The lighting used in this photograph, or in the photograph processing, makes this a nice image. The dark background and the young woman’s white dress creates an effective contrast.
TURN OF THE CENTURY CARPENTER AND PAINTER IN WARREN, MASSACHUSETTS
This occupational cabinet card features two men dressed in work garb. The man on the left appears to be a painter and he is equipped with his paint pail and brush. His stained overalls show that he is a veteran painter. Note the large clean brush in his shirt pocket. The gentleman on the right seems to be a carpenter. He is holding a saw and rule which he is resting on a sawhorse. He is wearing an apron and both men have caps to keep their hair clean. The photographer is Penfield and the location of the studio is Warren, Massachusetts. Daniel Edward Penfield (1842-1914) was born in Meriden, Connecticut and died in Warren, Mass.
FIVE ADORABLE CHILDREN IN ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA
This cabinet card features five adorable children posing together at the studio of W. F. Koester in St. Paul, Minnesota. The children may be siblings, at least three of them have a strong family resemblance. In 1890, photographer, William F. Koester, took a photograph that was fascinating and historic and brought him a great deal of attention. Koester was out photographing “views” from a St. Paul bluff when he fortuitously saw and photographed a tornado approaching the city and touching down on it. The firm of Fredericks & Koester published 5×8 souvenir cards for sale. A local housepainter who aspired to be an oil painter, painted over the photograph, and it became an important work of Minnesota art. A photograph by Fredericks & Koester can be found in the American Museum of Photography (Couple on Toboggan).
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 