This Cabinet Card is an image of a gentleman with a very interesting beard. I wonder what the psychological implications are of a man who keeps his mouth completely hidden by facial hair. The mans eyes however, are very communicative. The photographer is Huddleston whose studio was in Spiceland, Indiana. Cephus M. Huddleston (1832- ?) was born in Indiana but little biographacial data was uncovered in recent reseach. The town of Spiceland was settled in the 1820’s by Quaker pioneers from Virginia and the Carolinas. The town was named after the spice bush which was prevalent there. In the 1890’s there were a number of factories including those that manufactured furniture, glass and glue. The town was the location of Friends Academy (1870-1921) and the Spiceland Sanitarium and Mineral Springs (1893-1913).
MOUTHLESS MAN IN SPICELAND, INDIANA (MAN WITH FORMIDABLE BEARD)
WEDDING PHOTOGRAPH IN AUBURN, NEW YORK
This Cabinet Card appears to be a wedding portrait. The bride looks beautiful in her bow plagued gown. Her feathered hat is terrific. The groom seems to be a bit older than the bride. Perhaps he lied on match.com about his age. Hopefully someone knowledgable about wedding gowns of this period can opine about whether this is a wedding portrait. The photographer is H. Seymour Squyer of Auburn, New York. Could the signature on the bottom of the cabinet card be less legible? Research relied on his address to identify him. In 1893, Squyer won an Eastman Prize that was listed in the American Journal of Photography. In 1900, he was cited as a leading expert in legal photography by the Archives of Neurology and Psychopathology. He was the legal photographer for the New York Prison System and involved in innovative work to improve the value of photography for identification of prisoners. Squyer’s photograph of Harriet Tubman is in the Smithsonian Art Portraiture Gallery.
Marie Tempest: English Singer and Actress
Marie Temptest (1864-1942) was a famous soprano in late Victorian light opera and Edwardian musical comedies. She later became a a leading comic actress. She toured in North America and other parts of the world. She was also a significant force behind the founding of the actors union Actors’ Equity in England. She was born in London, England and educated in Belgium. Her later musical education took place in Paris and London. She had her debut in 1885 in the operetta Boccaccio in London. After a few years in other performances, she performed on Broadway over a three year span. She was in numerous productions including The Tyrolean, and The Fencing Master. She was considered on the few rivals to Lillian Russell. Tempest was a difficult star but mellowed in middle age. She was a very active actress and performed in numerous productions over the years. She was created a Dame Commander of the British Empire in 1937. The top Cabinet Cafd was photographed by famous celebrity photographer Falk, of New York City. The bottom Cabinet Card was produced by A. Bassano of London, England.
LITTLE GIRL AND A WALL IN PHILADELPHIA
A young girl poses for this cabinet card photographed by George Rau of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She appears to be unenthusiastic about posing for this photograph. Note the sculpted lion head on the wall. The photographer, George Rau, was part of a well known family involved in early photography. Members of his family were active in the areas of lantern slides and stereographs. Research found much written about these family members but little about underachieving George. However, he was a contributor to a book called Photographic Mosaic (1884) in which he wrote a section on “Gelatine Emulsion Plates”.
BUSHY MUSTACHE IN EAU CLAIRE, WISCONSIN
This cabinet card is an addition to the “Mustache (Only the Best) category in the Cabinet Card Gallery. The gentleman in this photograph is wearing a long and bushy mustache and dress clothing for his portrait at the studio of Bonell, in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Bonell was a photographer in Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin from 1875 until 1890. To view more photographs by Bonell, click on the category “Photographer: Bonell”.
BESPECTACLED SALVATION ARMY WORKER IN PLAINFIELD, NEW JERSEY
This Cabinet Card photograph is an image of a Salvation Army Worker. Note her uniform and the “S” on her collar. The photographic studio that produced this image is Fisher & Monfort of Plainfield, New Jersey. This photograph is one of a number of photographs of Salvation Army workers that can be found in the Cabinet Card Gallery. Take a look at them in the “Salvation Army” category. There is also a category for “Photographer: Fisher & Monfort” where other pictures by these photographers may be viewed. Their full names are Charles W. Fisher and George W. Monfort.
ALBERT STROUT WEARS A STRING TIE
An inscription on the reverse of this cabinet card indicates that the man sitting for this portrait is Albert Strout. The photograph was recently purchased from an estate in Porter, Maine. Research discloses that there is an Albert Strout (1847-1925) buried in Cedar Crest Cemetery in Otisfield, Maine. Albert Strout was married to Ida M. Spurr Strout and records suggest that he may have been a carpenter. It is very possible that the biographical information discovered is accurate but it certainly may be incorrect. Albert Strout is a not an extremely rare name and the photographer who produced this image (Smith) does not list the location of his studio on the cabinet card. Perhaps this photograph followed Strout’s ancestors to Maine but originated in another part of the country. Note that Albert Strout is wearing a pin on his lapel and a string tie.
CUTE BABY POSES FOR PORTRAIT IN LYONS, NEW YORK (IS THAT A MOHAWK?)
An adorable wide-eyed baby poses for a cabinet card portrait at the photographic studio of Stanley, in Lyons, New York. The child is wearing a gown and a very interesting hair style which looks like a predecessor to the modern day mohawk. She is wearing a pin on her collar. The pin has lettering that may spell her name. The letters are unclear but it appears to say “Darlene”. Perhaps a visitor to this site can decipher the word on the pin and leave a comment with the correct information.
BIJOU HERON: BEAUTIFUL AMERICAN STAGE ACTRESS
This Cabinet Card presents the image of American stage actress Bijou Heron (1863-1937). She was the daughter of composer Robert August Stoepel and actress Matilda Heron. She began her career as a child. She married Broadway producer, writer, actor, and director, Henry Miller (1858-1926). Her son, Gilbert Miller became a very successful Broadway producer. The photograph was published for the Union Square Theatre Company. The photographic studio was Bradley & Rulofson in San Francisco, California. The reverse of the card indicates that the studio has the only “Elevator Photography” in the world. Perhaps a visitor to this site can explain the meaning of “Elevator Photography”. Research reveals that in 1872 the partners installed what they claimed to be the first hydraulic elevator ever to be associated with a photographic studio. The elevator cost them four thousand dollars. Henry William Bradley (1813-1891) and his partner William Rulofson (1826-1876) were partners in a photographic studio that photographed many notable Californians. Bradley was born in Wilmington, North Carolina, and grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana. He opened his San Francisco studio in 1850 and took in his partner in 1860. When he retired in 1878 his studio was considered the best on the west coast and won first prize at the Centennial Exposition at Philadelphia in 1876. Mr Rulofson had quite a controversial and interesting life and associated with many famous people including Ambrose Bierce. Rulofson died in a fall from the roof of his studio and was heard to say during the descent, “I am killed”. You can view a second cabinet card of an actress by these photographers by clicking on the category “Photographer: Bradley & Rulofson”. Ms. Heron is dressed in costume for this portrait. It is likely that she was appearing in San Francisco with a touring company from the Union Square Theatre. The costume that she is wearing is one that she wore in the play “The Two Orphans” in which she appeared with actress Maud Harrison circa 1880. This cabinet card indicates that Bijou Heron was a strikingly beautiful woman.
THE BRIDE WORE BLACK: WEDDING COUPLE IN BAY CITY, MICHIGAN
A bride and groom are posing for their wedding portrait in this Cabinet Card by Drago of Bay City, Michigan. The groom is wearing a three piece suit, flowers, and a pocket watch. The bride is wearing a dark wedding dress with a white veil. Check the “Wedding” category in the Cabinet Card Gallery to find some interesting comments about the history of dark wedding dresses. Research found little about the photographer except that his complete name was Albert Drago.
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 