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.
TURN OF THE CENTURY CARPENTER AND PAINTER IN WARREN, MASSACHUSETTS
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).
PRETTY YOUNG WOMAN IN WINONA, MINNESOTA
A pretty young woman poses for her portrait in the studio of E. A. Lynn, in Winona, Minnesota. The woman appears poised in front of the camera and she has an alert and amused expression. The photographer may be the same E. A. Lynn who had photographic studios listed for sale in Seattle and Tacoma, Washington. His “for sale” notice was listed in a 1911 photographic journal. E. A. Lynn also served as the Vice President (for the state of Washington) of the Photographers Association of the Pacific Northwest.
PORTRAIT OF A PRETTY WOMAN NAMED MAY ELDER
May Elder is a strikingly pretty woman as apparent in this cabinet card photograph by an unknown photographer in an unknown place. She is very well dressed in this image; perhaps she was photographed for a special occasion, such as a wedding. An inscription on the reverse of the card states “Relation to Mary (Mollir?), Virginia (Wentling) Kinkle?, and John Logan Cozad.
A HANDSOME MAN IN BROOKLYN, NEW YORK
A very handsome man poses for his portrait at the Dana studio in Brooklyn, New York. Information written on the reverse of the photograph indicates that this good looking gentleman was named Ferdinand Clauburg. The inscription also indicates that the date of this photograph was July 2nd, 1897. Mr. Clauburg is well dressed and is wearing a pin on his lapel. The Dana studio was located at 565 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, New York. Edward Cary Dana (1853-1897) was born in Boston, Massachusetts, developed an interest in photography, and moved to Brooklyn, where he opened a studio. In time he had a great reputation as a skilled photographer and had established three galleries in New York City. He died at age 44 of kidney problems and left a widow, Miss Ada Sherman, of Staten Island, New York.
ATTRACTIVE COUPLE IN HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT
An attractive couple pose for their portrait at the Orgill studio in Hartford, Connecticut. On the reverse of the card, John Orgill markets himself as the leading photographer of Hartford. This couple is poised and well dressed for their day at the photographer. To view other photographs by Orgill, click on Cabinet Card Gallery’s category “Photographer: Orgill”.
LOVELY COUPLE IN TECUMSEH, MICHIGAN
A lovely couple pose for their garden scene portrait in a studio in Tecumseh, Michigan. The photographer is Steger. The woman in this image has a devilish expression while her husband appears very serious. The woman appears to be very tall. In fact, she would need to duck, if she walked through the doorway of the fake house in this photograph.
KATE CLAXTON: STAGE ACTRESS ASSOCIATED WITH DEADLY THEATRE FIRE
CABINET CARD 1 (SOLD)
CABINET CARD 2Kate Claxton (1848-1924) is the subject of this cabinet card portrait. Claxton was an American stage actress who made her first appearance in Chicago with Lotta Crabtree in 1870. That same year she joined Augustin Daly’s Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York. In 1872, she became a member of A. M. Palmer’s Union Square Theatre in New York. She played mostly in comedic roles. She began starring in theatrical tours in 1876. In 1876 she was performing the play “The Two Orphans” at the Brooklyn Theatre (in New York City) when a fire broke out killing 278 people. Soon after the tragic fire, she was in a St. Louis hotel when it caught fire and she made a narrow escape. After the two fires, Claxton was viewed by some audiences and theater professionals, as bad luck and a performer to be avoided. There are some interesting asides about Claxton. First, the town of Claxton, Georgia was named after her in 1911, Second, her father was Colonel Spencer W. Cone, who was the commander of the 61st New York Regiment in the American Civil War. Cabinet Card 1 was photographed by Schloss, a famous New York celebrity photographer. To view other photographs by Schloss, click on this site’s category “Photographer: Schloss”. The reverse of this card has a hand written notation stating “Empire Theatre”. Perhaps this photograph captures Kate Claxton in costume for a role she played at the Empire. (SOLD)
Cabinet Card 2 captures Claxton sitting on the ground during a snow storm. The staged scene in this image is likely from one of Claxton’s performances. This photograph is by Sarony, famed New York City photographer. To view other images by Sarony, click on Cabinet Card Gallery’s category “Photographer: Sarony”.
DOMINICK ARMOCCITO: INMATE NUMBER 4461 AT THE COLORADO STATE PENITENTIARY IN CANON CITY, COLORADO (CIRCA 1900)
Meet Dominick Armoccito, inmate number 4461. Actually, you wouldn’t want to meet Dominick Armoccito. When this photograph was taken, he was on his way to the Colorado State Penitentiary, in Canon City, Colorado. He was charged with Assault to Rape and sentenced to one year of prison. At the time that this image was made, he was 32 years-old and weighed 139 pounds and was 5 feet and 2 1/2 inches tall. His complexion was sallow (sickly yellowish hue), and he had brown eyes and black hair. He worked as a laborer prior to jail. He was sentenced in Chaffee County, Colorado. The preceding information about convict Armoccito was all hand written on the back of the mug shot. The photographer of this photograph is unknown and the location where the photograph was taken was likely Canon City. Research reveals that Armoccito’s inmate number indicates that he began his sentence sometime between 1895 and 1902.
PRETTY AND STYLISH WOMAN IN DOWAGIAC, MICHIGAN
A stylish and pretty woman poses for her portrait at a studio in Dowagiac, Michigan. This close-up portrait highlights her interesting dress (note the string lace-up style) as well as her jewelry. She is wearing a stick pin and a pendant on a chain. The photographer is Harry G. Hughson. Hughson is listed in a business digest printed for Central Michigan (1902). His location is listed as St. Josephs, Michigan.
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