A pretty woman poses for her portrait at the studio of J. K. Stevens, in Chicago, Illinois. Stevens’s studio was located in the McVickers Theatre Building. To see other portraits by Stevens, click on Cabinet Card Gallery’s category of “Photographer: Stevens”.
PRETTY WOMAN IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
PRETTY DANCER PHOTOGRAPHED BY SARONY IN NEW YORK
This cabinet card is a photograph of a young dancer/actress photographed by the famous celebrity photographer, Sarony of New York. She seems to be in a dancers pose and costume. The reverse of the card has a handwritten identification of the subject. The name listed is Sara Belle; and preliminary research has revealed nothing about her. In fact, the existence of an actress/dancer by that name has not yet been confirmed. Interestingly, Napoleon Sarony’s daughter was named Belle. In regard to the date of this photograph, Sarony opened his Broadway studio in 1866 and moved to 37 Union Square in New York City in 1871. Therefore this photograph was taken between 1866 and 1871. Perhaps a visitor to this site can shed some light on the identity of the woman in this photograph. Additional images by Sarony can be seen by clicking on the Cabinet Card Gallery’s category of “Photographer: Sarony”.
OLD MAN WITH AN INTERESTING BEARD IN ALLEGAN, MICHIGAN
An old man poses for his portrait for a photographer named Porter, in Allegan, Michigan. The man is wearing a jacket and has long hair and a wonderful long (but groomed) beard. The gentleman and his beard have earned a spot in the Cabinet Card Gallery’s category, “Beards (Only the Best)”. Click on the category to view the large collection of interesting beards that comprise the category. The photographer of this image, HV M. Porter wrote a letter to The Photo Beacon (1898) proposing a plan regarding how photographers could get better prices for their photographs. Porter advises readers that “the public doesn’t know a poor photograph from a good one, because it is so seldom they see a good one”. Porter goes on to propose the establishment of a board of judges who would give ratings to all photographers based on their submission of twelve photographs. If this plan was in effect, Porter asserts that the higher rated photographers could be paid more money for their work than lower rated photographers. Although Porter’s plan seems viable in theory; what would stop untalented photographers from paying talented photographers for samples that they could submit to the ratings board?
ONE MUSKETEER IN LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND
This cabinet card captures an actor in costume. He is dressed like a musketeer. Note those long tresses. It is difficult to decipher the photographers name. It may be Oswald Wetti, but that is just a guess. The photographer’s studio was located in Lausanne, Switzerland. Lausanne is a city in French speaking Switzerland. The city lies on the shore of Lake Geneva.
TURN OF THE CENTURY BAD BOYS: CAUGHT IN THE ACT BY TRAVELING PHOTOGRAPHER
The “bad boys” are in town and they are gathered to play a mean game of cards and enjoy their smokes. Traveling photographer, C. A. Johnson has posed the five men in front of a painted river scene. The guys seem quite natural in this gambling milieu. My guess is, that “they’ve been there, and done that”. Its a bit unusual to see cigarettes in cabinet card photography, but they fit this scene perfectly.
CONFIDENT LITTLE GIRL IN BUFFALO, NEW YORK
A young girl, with a look of confidence, poses for her portrait at the Hall & Co. studio in Buffalo, New York. The studio was located at 306 Main Street in Buffalo. The front and back of the card mentions the name “Powelson” which appears to be the name of the building that the studio was located in. Benjamin F. Powelson was a pioneer photographer in Buffalo beginning in the 1840’s. E. F. Hall took this photograph between 1889 and 1895. The reverse of this card indicates that Hall won an award in 1889 and research reveals that he opened a new studio in 1895, in another location in Buffalo. Hall was elected an officer in the Buffalo camera club in 1889.
WOMAN WITH SULTRY EYES
This cabinet card is a portrait of an attractive young woman with sultry eyes. She is wearing a beaded dress with a high collar which is highlighted by a pin. The photographer is Hamilton and the location of his studio is not indicated. Note the interesting hairstyle.
Handsome Spanish-American War Cavalry Soldier in Manila, Philippines (Private Dave Foley)
This cabinet card features U. S. Cavalry Private Dave Foley, in his khaki campaign uniform during the Spanish American War & Philippine Insurrection period (1898-1901). The photograph was taken in Manila, Philippines at the “Fotografia Universal”. The identifying information is typed on the reverse of this photograph. No further background information on this young soldier has been found. Perhaps a visitor to this site can uncover biographical information concerning Private Foley or the studio where this image was taken.
TWO PATRIOTS IN MILLERSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA PHOTOGRAPHED BY EX PITTSBURGH STEELERS COACH CHUCK NOLL
Cabinet Card’s often present more questions than answers; this is one of those images. The Cabinet Card features two men in uniform, wearing sashes that look like a portion of the American flag. Both men are wearing caps that display a number. Each man is also wearing a badge and ribbons on their jacket. One of the ribbons may say Washington Campaign and have Millersburg written on the bottom line, but this is just a hypothesis. Hopefully, a visitor to this site will share a more informed opinion about what organization these men may be representing. Are they Firemen, Railroad Workers, Military Veterans, Fraternal Organization Members, or some other specific occupational or service group? The photographer is Charles W. Noll. If his nickname was Chuck, than he is the unofficial namesake of the former football coach, Chuck Noll of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The photographer is listed in the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania directories of 1902 and 1904.
STAGE STAR, DOROTHY DONNELLY IN “SOLDIERS OF FORTUNE” (1902)
Dorothy (Agnes) Donnelly (1880-1928) was an actress, lyricist, and a librettist. She was the daughter of the manager of New York City’s Grand Opera House. She made her acting debut in the stock company of her brother, Henry V. Donnelly at the Murray Hill Theatre in New York City. She became a well known performer in 1903 when she played title roles in Yeat’s “Kathleen ni Houlihan” and Shaw’s “Candida” in their first American performances. Her most celebrated performance was in the title role of “Madame x” (1910). She acted for another decade but after the success of her book and lyrics for Sigmund Romberg’s adaptation of Schubert’s melodies in “Blossom Time” (1921), she gave up performing and concentrated on her writing. Donnelly was married to Sigmund Romberg. The photographer of this cabinet card was celebrity photographer, Schloss. The photograph captures Donnelly in costume for “Soldiers of Fortune” (1902); so the image is a portrait representing the very early part of her theatrical career. The cabinet card comes from the Oral M. Heffner Theatrical Collection and was formerly the property of the Franklin County Historical Society. To learn more about the Heffner collection, click on the Cabinet Card Gallery category of “Oral M. Heffner Theatrical Collection”.
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 