This striking late-19th-century cabinet card portrait features a well-dressed African American gentleman photographed in Duluth, Minnesota by the Ely Studio. The studio employed the high-quality “Carbonette” process in producing this photo. The sitter projects dignity and confidence, dressed in a tailored suit, high collar, and tie, looking directly into the lens with a steady, composed gaze. Photographs of African American subjects from this period are significantly less common in the cabinet card format—especially outside major metropolitan centers—making this a meaningful and rare image documenting Black presence and identity in the Upper Midwest during the post-Civil War era. The cardstock bears the elegant Ely imprint along the bottom edge, with subtle blind-embossed text. The reverse is blank, as issued. This cabinet card was produced by Cook Ely, one of Duluth’s most established photographers. Born in 1844 in Lincolnshire, England, Ely trained in Wisconsin before briefly serving in the Civil War (Company B, 41st Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry). After the war, he spent decades refining his craft across Illinois and Wisconsin, operating studios in Racine and Oshkosh and partnering with notable photographers. In 1895, Ely moved to Duluth with his children and opened his Superior Street studio, later working in St. Paul with famed frontier photographer Frank Jay Haynes. Ely remained professionally active well into the early 20th century, appearing in Duluth directories as late as 1914. He died in Oshkosh in 1923. (SOLD)
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 