PRETTY WOMAN WEARING A BROOCH : KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN : CABINET CARD (1891)

A young woman poses for this cabinet card photograph at the Wood photographic studio in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She is wearing a brooch which may  hold a photograph of her daughter, or perhaps, a photo of herself at a younger age. This attractive young woman has curly hair and wonderful eyes. The photographer of this photograph is likely T. E. Wood who is mentioned in photography journals published in 1893 and 1895. This cabinet card has the year 1891 printed on the bottom of the card which is likely the year that this photograph was taken. Check out other photographs by Wood by clicking on the category  “Photographer: Wood”.  SOLD

Published in: on June 13, 2025 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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MATTIE OLESON : 18 YEARS-OLD : KERSTING STUDIO : CHICAGO, ILLINOIS : CABINET CARD

This antique cabinet card photograph features a young woman identified on the reverse inscription as Mattie Oleson, aged 18. She is posed in a traditional 1890s studio portrait style, seated and gazing slightly to the side with a composed and serene expression. Her face is oval-shaped with soft features and clear eyes, conveying a quiet dignity. Her hair is neatly pulled back and arranged in a modest style, typical of the time. Mattie is dressed in a high-collared dress of dark fabric, possibly wool or a heavy cotton, reflecting everyday or Sunday-best attire from the late Victorian period. The dress features leg-of-mutton sleeves, a popular fashion during the 1890s, which puff dramatically at the shoulders before tapering tightly down the arms. At the base of her collar, she wears a small round brooch or collar pin, possibly gold or brass, that adds a delicate decorative touch to her ensemble. The brooch is decorated with a portrait of a man and woman. Perhaps the portrait is of her parents or grandparents. The cabinet card was produced by the Kersting studio, located at 730 Milwaukee Avenue, in Chicago, Illinois. The studio imprint is elegantly embossed on the card’s bottom front, accompanied by a decorative border design that was typical for quality studios of the era. The photographer was known as H. C. Kersting.  Henry C. Kersting was a notable photographer in late 19th-century Chicago. He operated his studio from approximately 1883 to 1892.  On the reverse of the card is a handwritten inscription in period script: “Mattie Oleson, 18 years old.” This personal note adds historical and emotional value and creates an opportunity for genealogical research to learn more about Miss Oleson.  (SOLD)


Published in: on June 3, 2025 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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RARE PORTRAIT OF STAGE ACTRESS MISS MARY GREY

 This vintage real photo postcard features actress “Miss Mary Grey”. A search for biographical information about Miss Grey was not very fruitful. It should be noted that postcard portraits of Mary Grey are rare. Only one other postcard image of Miss Grey could be found, and it was a different pose than the one above. I found a morsel of information about one actress named Mary Grey but I can not verify that the Mary Grey seen in this postcard is the same Mary Grey that I am about to describe. Mary Grey was an actress known for her appearance in the British musical film”His Majesty and Co” (1935). She was married twice. Her first husband was James Bernard Fagan, an Irish-born actor, theater manager,producer and playwright in England. This postcard is part of the Rotary Photographic Series (no. 4954 B) published by Rotary Photo. Note the actresses winter coat, collar brooch, and fancy hat. The photograph was taken by the Foulsham & Banfield Studio. Foulsham & Banfield were well known celebrity photographers. Frank Foulsham and A. C. Banfield operated a studio in the 1900’s through the 1920’s.   SOLD

Published in: on September 6, 2018 at 8:50 am  Leave a Comment  
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PRETTY WOMAN WITH SNOW SHOE BROOCH IN DANBURY, CONNECTICUT

A pretty young woman poses for her portrait at Folsom’s gallery in Danbury, Connecticut. She is wearing a snow shoe brooch at her collar. Joseph H. Folsom (1841-?) married Sarah Elizabeth Lockwood n 1869. At the time he married, he was a veteran of the American Civil War. He had enlisted in the New York First Regiment in 1861 and had fought in several battles before being taken prisoner at Gaines Mill, in June, 1862. He was a prisoner of war in Libby Prison. After the war, he returned to his photography business in Danbury. A photography journal published in 1883 announced that his estate had sold the business. Interestingly, it seem that his wife, reestablished the photography studio. The Anthony Photographic Bulletin (1888) reported that she had opened her own photographic studio in a new location.

Published in: on October 24, 2011 at 12:01 am  Comments (2)  
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LADY PINNED BY A CONDUCTOR IN SIOUX CITY, IOWA

This cabinet card portrait features a young nicely dressed woman wearing a tintype pin or brooch. The jewelry holds a photograph of a train conductor; presumably the woman’s husband or suitor. The cabinet card was photographed by Rugg, whose studio was located in Sioux City, Iowa. Research reveals little to assist in gathering information about Rugg. Investigation found that there was an artist that resided in Sioux City named Elliott I. Rugg  (1862-?).  There is a reasonable possibility that he is the photographer that produced this image. Elliott Rugg was a relative of another photographer, Arthur Rugg, who operated out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. To view photographs by Arthur Rugg, click on category “Photographer: Arthur Rugg”.

Published in: on September 22, 2011 at 12:01 am  Comments (3)  
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PORTRAIT OF A SOUTHERN BELLE IN NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

A pretty woman poses for her portrait at the Schleier studio in Nashville, Tennessee.  The brooch on her lace collar indicates that her name is “Mattie”. She is also wearing a triangular brooch that appears to have a rose motif. Theodore M Schleier was a photographer is New Orleans between 1850 and 1860. He operated in Nashville beginning 1860. In New Orleans, he had a photographic gallery on Chartres Street, in 1857. At the beginning of that year, he was assaulted and badly injured when another New Orleans photographer, James Andrews, kicked in the gallery door, and attacked him with a poker. Andrews also destroyed much of Schleier’s equipment. Schleier’s name appears in a number of photography journals, including Anthony’s Photographic Bulletin (1886), where there is an announcement that his Nashville studio was for sale.

Published in: on May 20, 2011 at 12:01 am  Leave a Comment  
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