This cabinet card photograph features an old man sitting in his horse drawn cart. Note that the cart has only two wheels. The cart seems to be on a road in front of a fenced house. The gentleman is wearing a derby style hat. The photograph was produced by the Cone studio in Nunda, Illinois. The township of Nunda was established in 1849 and was originally called Brooklyn. In 1850 the name of the town was changed to Nunda to honor a community leader whose birthplace was Nunda, New York. The photographer of this photograph may be Joseph C. Cone. The Portrait and Biographical Album of Fulton County, Illinois (1890) reports that Cone was a Union soldier for three years in Company C of the 103rd Illinois Infantry and became a photographer in Farmington, Illinois. The book also states that he was married to Maria Union. Farmington and Nunda are 190 miles apart and it was not uncommon for photographers of the era to frequently move their businesses from community to community in order to find better economic opportunities. However, Joseph Cone’s identity as the photographer of this image is purely speculative.
OLD MAN AND HIS HORSE AND BUGGY IN NUNDA, ILLINOIS
A MYSTERIOUS MAN ARRIVES IN TOWN DRIVING A HORSE AND BUGGY
A well dressed man arrives in town driving a horse drawn buggy. He arrives at his destination under the cover of darkness. The man is holding a long whip. There is a lamp on the carriage that is in place next to the driver. This photograph appears to have been taken outside. The horse is standing next to a brick building. Perhaps the building is a stable. There are three men visible in the background of this picture. Why are these men included in this image? Perhaps a Cabinet Card Gallery visitor has a theory they are willing to share in regard to interpreting this photograph. The photographer and location of this image is unknown.
TWO KIDS, A GOAT, AND A CARRIAGE: FORMULA FOR FUN AND A TERRIFIC PHOTOGRAPH
Two children pose for a cabinet card photograph in a studio with fun props. The older child stands next to a goat that is harnessed to a small carriage. The youngest child sits in the buggy and holds the reins. This is an unusual cabinet card. More commonly photographs of goats are seen on cdv’s or photo postcards and the goats are generally harnessed to carts, rather than carriages. The photographer is J. J. Burnett of North Carolina.
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 