This wide eyed cute little girl is posing for her portrait at the Crow studio in Astoria. Note her her terrific curls. Research was not productive to determine whether this is the Astoria that is located in Queens, New York; or another Astoria, such as the one in Oregon. The only certainty is that the little girl is adorable as she dons her large lace bonnet for her sitting at the photographer.
This is a Cabinet card portrait of stage actress Effie Ellsler (1855?-1942). She was born in Cleveland, Ohio where her parents were actors and ran a leading playhouse. She made her debut as a child and as an adult had opportunities to act with Edwin Booth, Lawrence Barrett and other celebrities during their Cleveland tours. Ellsler came to New York in 1880 and was a sensation in her first part in the title role of Hazel Kirke. She played that role for three years but than made a series of poor starring role choices in a number of melodramas. For most of the 1890’s she toured in road companies. She later played with Maxine Elliott in the Merchant of Venice. Ellsler’s last hit was in the Bat (1920). This Cabinet card portrait is from the esteemed studio of Charles Ritzmann of New York City.
This Cabinet card is a photograph of a dapper young Black man posing in Donner Brothers Studio in Watertown, Wisconsin. Watertown is located in southeastern Wisconsin and was settled in 1836. Around the time of this photograph, there was an influx of German immigrants into the town. These immigrants started the first kindergarten in the United States soon after their arrival in Watertown.
This Cabinet Portrait is an image of two Armenian women photographed in Georgia in 1910. Writing on the reverse of the card indicates that the women are named Mara and Jenia.
Jessie Bartlett Davis (1859?-1905) was an American actress and operatic singer from Illinois who was billed as “America’s Representative Contralto”. Her father was a farmer and country school master and she was one of ten children. She was discovered when she was performing locally and was taken by traveling managers to perform on the west coast. In 1879 she made her debut in the opera H.M.S. Pinafore. She performed with several opera companies before joining the new Boston Ideal Opera and remained with this troupe until 1901 performing as their prima donna. She is most well known for her role as Alan a-Dale in the 1890 opera Robin Hood. She also toured performing opera in Europe one season and in 1897 she opened on Broadway in The Serenade. She played Broadway again in 1903 in Jakobowski”s operetta Erminie. This versatile performer also performed vaudeville, wrote songs, stories and poems. She had a home in Chicago and summer home in Indiana where she raised horses, collies and fox terriers. In 1905 she died of Brights disease and is buried in Chicago. The photographer of this portrait is renowned theatrical photogarpher Benjamin J Falk of New York City.
A distinguished looking Black man poses for a photograph in the studio of Elmer Chickering of Boston, Massachussets. The gentleman has an interesting looking expression. He looks proud and he also has what appears to have a “sparkle in his eye” accompanying a half-smile. Elmer Chickering (1857-1915?) was a prestigious Boston photographer who was began his career in the city around 1884. His obituary states that he photographed many of the leading men and women of the city, state and nation. Chickering was well known his baseball related photographs as well as for his many celebrity portraits. To view more photographs by this photographer, click on the category “Photographer: Chickering, E.”.
Helen Tracy (1850-1924) was an American stage actress. A series of roles in the plays of Shakespeare is included in her acting resume. She’s wearing very interesting earrings and a great hat. The Cabinet card comes from the studio of Sarony, one of the renowned photographers of theatrical stars and other celebrities.
Clinton and Mary Derby are the subjects of this Cabinet card. Brother and sister are dressed adorably. Note the size of the chair the young girl is sitting in, and the fur rug. The photographer is C. E. Lewis of Lebanon, New Hampshire. Lebanon is a city in western New Hampshire. In the mid 1800’s industries began there including furniture manufacturing, machine shops, tanneries, mills (ie woolen textile) and clothing factories. The area attracted many French workers from Quebec.
The subject of this Cabinet card is a dapper young black gentleman photographed by Wendover of Albany, New York. Judging by his formal attire, he appears to be well-to-do and is sporting a pocket watch and cuff links. To view other images by this photographer, click on the category “Photographer: Wendover”.
Beautiful stage actress, Rose Coghlan (1851-1932) is the subject of this photographic portrait by celebrity photographer, Jose Mora. Coghlan was an Irish actress who began her theatrical career in both England and the United States in the 1870’s. The IBDB reports that Coghlan appeared in 21 Broadway productions beginning in 1872. These plays included The School for Scandal (1909) and Vanity Fair (1911). She also appeared in Oscar Wilde’s A Woman of No Importance (1893) which was not on Broadway. In 1902 she became a naturalized American citizen. In addition to theater, Coghlan raised livestock on her ranch in Montana. The reverse of this card has a pencilled note indicating that this photograph was taken while Rose Coghlan appeared in “Jealous Wife” (1878).
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