This cabinet card is a portrait of a pretty feathered woman. It is probably misleading to call her a feathered woman, when in fact, it is her dress and hat that is covered with feathers. She is certainly wearing a creative, albeit, odd dress, especially since the photograph was made pre “Big Bird”. The photographer was A. N. Blanchard, and he was located on State Street, in Montpelier, Vermont. Azel Norman Blanchard (1843-1923) was a Civil War veteran who was a member of the 1st US Sharpshooters (Co. F). He established a photography business in Barre, Vermont, in 1865 and moved to Montpelier where he established a studio in 1880. Research reveals that his photography business was listed in the Montpelier directories of 1883 and 1887. He was buried in Green Mountain Cemetery, in Montpelier.
FEATHERED LADY OF MONTPELIER, VERMONT
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 