NAVAL CASUALTY MEMORIAL CARD FOR BRITISH SAILOR (HONG KONG, 1912)

This cabinet card is a memorial photograph of J. W. Stubbs who was accidentally killed in Hong Kong. Stubbs was a stoker (tended to the engine) aboard the H.M.S. Astraea. He died in 1912 and this cabinet card was made by his shipmates in his memory. The image of this smiling and handsome 20 year-old sailor, who died tragically, evokes much sadness. The Astraea was a cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was commissioned for service in 1895 and was active in World War I. She was scrapped in 1920. The photographer who made this memorial card was A. Hing  of Hong Kong.  (SOLD)

Published in: on January 24, 2024 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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A SHIP CAPTAIN IN PANAMA : IDENTIFIED AS W. C. GIBB : CALM STUDIO : CABINET CARD

This photograph features a ship captain posing at the Calm Studio, located at the Plazuela De Alfaro in Panama. The card is inscribed to Mr. and Mrs. Wilson and signed by W. C. Gibb. The captain is wearing a nautical uniform and it is unknown whether he is a military or a civilian sailor. Research reveals that the Alfaro Plaza may be named after Jose Eloy Alfaro Delgado (1842 -1912) who was a President of Ecuador who was a strong opponent of pro Catholic conservatism and whose views and actions caused him to be exiled to Panama in 1911. A year later he returned to Ecuador, where he was imprisoned; and then taken from the prison by a mob and executed.   SOLD

Published in: on January 23, 2024 at 12:00 pm  Comments (2)  
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TRAIL RIDGE MUSEUM : FALL RIVER PASS : ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK : COLORADO

This vintage real photo postcard features the Trail Ridge Museum at Fall River Pass, in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. The site is at an elevation of 11,797 feet. Note the many 1940’s cars in this photograph. The mountains in the background are majestic and I wonder if those are glaciers on the mountain behind the museum. This photo was taken by Harold Sanborn. The Sanborn Souvenir Company was a leading Colorado postcard publisher. The company sold real photo postcards at stores across Colorado until the 1970’s. Sanborn photographed beautiful natural vistas and iconic landmarks. He also photographed busy street scenes and cityscapes. Harold’ son, William Sanborn joined his father in the business.  (SOLD)

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMEN OF FRANCE : FLOWER SERIES : LE MUGUET : NOYER : RPPC

This vintage real photo postcard features a profile view of a beautiful model. The postcard is part of a “Most Beautiful Women of France ” series (no. 5). The women in this series each represent different flowers. The model in this postcard represents “Le Muguet”, or “Morning Lillies”. This pretty women ws photographed by Alfred Noyer. His studio was located in Paris, France. This postcard portrait is unposted and in very good condition (see scans).

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le-muguet_0001-2

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PORTRAIT OF A LARGE WOMAN : FASHION : DENVER, COLORADO : CABINET CARD

This cabinet card portrait features a large woman wearing a vertically striped dress. Her hair is in a bun. She was poorly posed by the photographer. The woman’s photograph was taken by Central Photo Parlors, located in Denver, Colorado. Note the corner wear on the reverse (top left hand corner). This photograph has excellent clarity. SOLD

Published in: on January 20, 2024 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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FAMILY PORTRAIT : UNCLE ALFRED, AUNT WEALTHA, AND COUSIN MAIRA : RPPC (1904-1918)

This striking vintage real photo postcard features a portrait of a mother and father posing with their daughter. The family is well dressed. Dad has a serious expression while mom has a warm smile. She affecftionally rests one hand on the dads shoulder and the other hand on her daughter’s shoulder. The daughter’s expression indicates that she is not happy about being photographed. The AZO stampbox reveals that the card dates back to sometime between 1904-1918. Writing in the message section of the postcard informs us that the subjects of this photograph are Uncle Alfred, Aunt Wealtha, and cousin Maira. The postcard is in good condition (see scans).

Buy this Real Photo Vintage Postcard (includes shipping within the US) #5178

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$19.95

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Published in: on January 19, 2024 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PRETTY WOMAN : PORTRAIT : LEICESTER, ENGLAND : CABINET CARD

This cabinet card presents a beautifully dressed pretty woman posing for her portrait in Leicester, England. The photography studio that produced this image is Seville & Company Art Photographers and it was located at 76 Granby Street in Leicester, England. This cabinet card portrait is in very good condition (see scans).

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5857-3

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Published in: on January 18, 2024 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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MYSTERY ACTRESS IN SAN FRANCISCO: ETTA ?????

mystery

CABINET CARD 1

CABINET CARD 2   (SOLD)

These two Cabinet cards present quite a mystery. The dramatically dressed and attractive young woman in Cabinet Card 1 is simply identified as “Etta”. She appears to be an actress and my research reveals a large number of actresses named Etta who were stage performers around the turn of the century. I have been unable to determine this actresses identity, but a leading candidate might be Etta Butler (1879-1903). Etta Butler was a well-known actress and impersonator. She began her career at age 19 with the Tivoli Chorus in San Francisco. A year later she became a member of the “Around New York in Eighty Minutes” company. She was later featured in Frohman  comedies. She was last seen in “The Liberty Belles” at the Madison Square. Because of her popularity and promise, she was retained by David Belasco in a long term contract. She died of Typhoid fever in Roosevelt Hospital, in New York City at age 24. This mystery lady was photographed by Bradley and Bulofson of San Francisco, California.

Cabinet Card 2 has an inscription on the reverse signed by “Etta”. Are these two cabinet cards, taken by the same photographer, portraits of the same woman? One can see enough resemblance between the two images to hypothesize  that they are likely the same “Etta”. Take a look at another cabinet card by these photographers by clicking on the category “Photographer: Bradley & Rulofson”. That very same click will provide the reader with additional information about the photographers of this image.  (SOLD)

Published in: on January 16, 2024 at 12:00 pm  Comments (14)  
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HANDSOME AFRICAN AMERICAN MAN IN WARRENSBURG, MISSOURI

A handsome young African American man poses for his portrait at the Wadell & Moody Studio in Warrensburg, Missouri. The gentleman is very well dressed and has an appearance of confidence. His identity is unknown.  SOLD

Published in: on January 15, 2024 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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IS THIS A TOM THUMB WEDDING PHOTOGRAPH OR IS THIS A PORTRAIT OF A REINCARNATED GEORGE AND MARTHA WASHINGTON?

This cabinet card poses an interesting question. My first impression upon looking at the photograph was that it was an example of a “Tom Thumb Wedding Portrait”. What is a “Tom Thumb Wedding” ?  The answer offers an interesting social commentary. A “Tom Thumb Wedding” is a wedding pageant in which the major wedding roles are played by children; usually under ten years old. Not only are the bride and groom portrayed, but so are the best man, maid of honor, groomsmen, bridesmaids and the clergyman. Some of these weddings involved more then twenty children playing costumed parts. Often times, the weddings were fund raising events for charitable causes.  These faux weddings became popular after the wedding of General Tom Thumb (Charles Stratton) to Lavinia Warren in 1863. Tom Thumb’s wedding was very publicized by the media in America and received the attention across the county. Not having any royal families, Americans had to find celebrities to obsess over. Tom Thumb had a great promoter keeping him in the public’s eye. P. T. Barnum, the circus entrepreneur managed Tom Thumbs career. The previous owner of this cabinet card contends that this image is actually a portrait of a boy and a girl portraying George and Martha Washington. I have to give the last owner’s theory credibility because over the years I have been collecting these photographs, I have seen a number of portraits of children portraying George and Martha. Sometimes the images present them together and sometimes separately. In conclusion, there is no conclusion. What do you think, “Tom Thumb Wedding” or “Portrayal of George and Martha Washington”. The photographer of this image is R. B. Lewis of Hudson, Massachusetts. He is cited in the Photographic Journal of America (1893) for an excellent photograph of a football team. Lewis is also listed in the Hudson city directory as a photographer between at least 1872 and 1909. This cabinet card portrait has gold beveled edges and is in excellent condition (see scans).

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$148.00

Buy this Vintage Original Cabinet Card (includes International shipping outside the US) #5843

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$158.00