TWO VICTORIAN WOMEN AND THEIR BICYLCES AND CYCLING ATTIRE

This Cabinet Card features two young woman and their bicycles. Magnification reveals that the bicycles have bells on the handle bars. The woman are wearing caps which brings up the issue of whether this is an occupational photograph. For example, were these women messengers or some other bicycle related employment. The woman on the left is wearing a dress which would make bicycling very difficult, so another possibility is that the caps and the bikes are just props from the photographic studio. The reverse of the card has an inscription that indicates that the woman under the “x” (the woman on the left), is named Miss H. Pleiss. Also in the inscription appears to be the word “Butte’. It is very possible that this cabinet card is from Butte, Montana. There is no evidence concerning the identity of the photographer. Note crease (not rip) near bottom left corner. This photograph is in Fair Condition. (see scans).

6514

Buy this Cabinet Card Photograph (includes shipping within the US) #6514

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6514

Buy this Vintage Original Cabinet Card (includes International shipping outside the US) #6514

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$48.00

Published in: on February 11, 2025 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
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A BOY AND HIS BICYCLE : INMAN, KANSAS : CABINET CARD

A boy dressed in jacket and tie, poses with his bicycle, in the studio of  I. B. Klopfenstein, in Inman, Kansas. Note the castle in the background. The castle is an interesting choice for a backdrop, considering that the studio and the lad are located on the Great Plains of America. The pasty faced boy looks intently at the camera.  His bicycle lacks the accessories often seen in images of people posing with bikes in cabinet card photography. This bike lacks a horn, basket, or repair kit. The photographer, Isaac B. Klopfenstein is listed in a number of state and federal censuses. In 1885 he lived in Lincoln, Kansas but by 1895, his residence was reported to be Inman, Kansas. He was of German heritage and was born in 1864, somewhere in Ohio. The reverse of the cabinet card has a pencilled name that identifies the boy in this photograph. The inscription reveals that he is “Master Charlie Williams”. Research efforts to gather further information about the lad were stymied because of the abundance of people in Kansas named “Charlie Williams” during that era. When was this photograph taken? It is safe to say that the image was produced 1889 or later. The town of Inman, Kansas was founded in 1887 but was originally named “Aiken”. The town was renamed in 1889. The new name was Inman, named after nearby Lake Inman. Who is Inman? Inman was the name of the Army Major who originally surveyed the area.   (SOLD)

Published in: on December 24, 2023 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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FIVE MEN, DERBIES AND DOGS IN KUTZTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA

The boys gather together at Snyder’s Studio in Kutztown, Pennsylvania for a group portrait. Suits and derby hats seem to be the order of the day. Someone brought their two large hounds to the gathering. The dogs appear to be hunting dogs. Examination of this cabinet card image brings up the question, “How are these men connected to each other?”.  Are they good friends?  Are they co-workers? The answer to these questions are unobtainable and we are left with only hypotheses.What do we know about the photographer? The 1880 U. S. census reveals that Charles Wanner Snyder (1852-1927) was married to Sallie A. Jackson (1858-1900) and the pair had a daughter named Lydia (born 1879). Charles Snyder was born, and later died, in Kutztown. At the time of the census, Snyder was employed as a boot and shoe maker, but he appears to have had a tendency to switch careers over time. After tiring of boots and shoes,  he worked two years as a harness maker. He learned photographic and freehand crayon work and then, became a photographer. Research reveals that he had a reputation for being an excellent scenic artist and sign painter. He also was a very civic minded man. He was credited as saving a grove from woodsmen, and establishing the Kutztown Park with the rescued property. He served six years on the Kutztown council and five years as President of the council. In 1880 he entered the bicycle business. He added a Sphinx automobile dealership to his bicycle shop in 1915. What in the world is a Sphinx automobile? The Sphinx was produced by the Sphinx Motor Car Company which was located in York, Pennsylvania. The company produced cars in 1915 and 1916. The Sphinx was a light touring car. Automobile Industries (1914) reported that the car was expected to  have an initial selling price of six hundred and ninety-five dollars.  SOLD

Published in: on April 12, 2023 at 12:01 pm  Comments (2)  
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SWEET LITTLE BOY RIDING HIS HANDCAR : TOY : MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA : RPPC

This vintage undivided back real photo postcard features a sweet little boy riding a handcar. The message on the reverse of the card reveals that the boys name is Robert and the card was mailed to his grandparents in Alliance, Ohio. The message is written by the boy’s parents in wording as if the boy himself wrote the card. Robert tells his grandparents that he has much fun on the handcar and that he wishes that they could see how fast he can ride. The message also reveals that the postcard was written in 1906 and that Robert and his family resided in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Typically, a hand car is a railroad car that is powered by it’s passengers. They were used by the railroads as well as in mines. (SOLD)  

Published in: on February 5, 2023 at 3:36 pm  Leave a Comment  
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FOUR MEN IN SUITS AND THEIR FOUR BICYCLES : REAL PHOTO POSTCARD

This vintage real photo postcard features four men and their bicycles. These men are well dressed and by today’s norms, they would not bike wearing dress suits. During the era seen in this image, men would wear bands on the bottom of their pants to avoid having their pant legs getting tangled in the spokes of their bike. (SOLD)

Published in: on October 16, 2021 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
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FIVE HAPPY WOMEN AND TWO HAPPY MEN RIDING BICYCLES (1939)

This vintage real photo postcard features five women and two men riding bicycles on an unidentified street. Judging by their smiles, they are all having fun. The riders are dressed for warm weather. Are these bicylists tourists? The caption on this postcard states “From Corso”. My assumption is that the photo was taken by the Corso studio. The location of that studio and the locale where this photo was taken, is unknown. An inscription on the reverse of the postcard indicates that the photograph was taken in 1939. SOLD

Published in: on May 20, 2021 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PORTRAIT OF A TEENAGE GIRL AND HER BICYCLE (RPPC)

 

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2020-04-11_171140 BIKE GIRL3This vintage real photo postcard features a young woman and her bicycle. It is a studio photograph which explains why the woman and her bike are inside the house.  (SOLD)

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Published in: on April 3, 2020 at 12:00 pm  Comments (7)  
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PORTRAIT OF A DAPPER “CYCLING GENT” AND HIS OSMOND BICYCLE

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This vintage real photo postcard features a well dressed gentleman posing with his bicycle. Although this is a studio photo, the bicyclist looks like he is ready to go for a ride. His attire is such that his lower pant legs are prevented from becoming entangled in the spokes of his bicycle tires. The gent is wearing a bicycle club badge on his cap. A note on the reverse of the postcard states “Osmond Cycle”. The Osmond Cycle Company was located in Birmingham, England. Frederick John Osmond was born in 1867. He was a bicycling super star. He later manufactured bicycles under his own name. He was managing director and works manager of his firm, which employed 120 people. He was a trained engineer who joined the Whitworth Company in Birmingham as the cycle department manager. He began there in 1891 but after being demoted to make room for the owners son, Osmond left and he and his brother opened their own bicycle company. At that point in time, Osmond was a legend in the sport of bicycling. He won his first major title on a tricycle in 1887. He was only a one year veteran in the post at the time of his victory. Three years late, he began riding on two wheels and he dominated the one, five, twenty-five, and 50 mile events. Osmond’s company produced motorcycles between 1902 and 1925. The business was sold in 1911 but maintained the Osmond name until the late 1920’s. This postcard is in very good condition (see scans).  (SOLD)

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Published in: on March 30, 2020 at 2:18 pm  Leave a Comment  
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A SOLDIER STANDS IN A FARMERS FIELD WITH HIS BICYCLE (FOXCO)

This photograph features a uniformed soldier standing in a farmer’s field and posing behind his bicycle. This photo was found in a shop in the Texas Hill Country. It was part of a group of Foxco images from the mid 1940’s. This photograph was developed by Foxco of San Antonio. The company has an interesting history.  The Fox Photo Studio was opened by Arthur C. Fox in 1906 in San Antonio, Texas. Fox sold the studio for seven hundred dollars to Carl D. Newton in 1909. Newton was a clever entrepreneur. One of his gimmicks was to offer a free camera to anyone buying three rolls of film and prepaying developing and printing fees. His successor to the business was Carl D Newton II.  By the mid 1930’s Fox advertised itself as the world’s largest Kodak finishers. Their processing plant was in operation around the clock. The company expanded and opened facilities in Dallas, Houston, Louisiana and Oklahoma. The company grew and grew and ultimately reached 12,000 dealers nationwide. In 1986, the company was sold to Kodak. Carl D Newton III kept the retail division of the business, calling it Fox Photo. Later, the business changed hands a number of times until it faded into history.  The photo measures about 3 1/4″ x 2 1/4″.    (SOLD)

Published in: on October 3, 2019 at 12:00 pm  Comments (2)  
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PORTRAIT OF A FRENCH BOY AND HIS BICYCLE

This vintage real photo postcard features a well dressed young boy posing with his bicycle. The boy is wearing a black armband. Black armbands were first utilized as a sign of mourning in 1770’s England. This postcard is of French origin and was published circa 1910. This postcard is in very good condition (see scans).  (SOLD)

Published in: on August 6, 2018 at 3:07 pm  Leave a Comment  
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