This dapper gentleman is wearing a medal and ribbon as he poses for this portrait at the studio of Applegate, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. What does this medal and ribbon represent? Is this gentleman a veteran of the civil war? Is he a member of a fraternal organization or political party? The answer to these questions will be very difficult to obtain but perhaps a visitor to this site may have some ideas to share about the type of medal and ribbon the subject is wearing. The gentleman’s beard is quite interesting. He has no mustache or whiskers immediately under his lower lip. He qualifies for Cabinet Card Gallery’s category of “Beards (Only The Best). The photographer of this cabinet card led an interesting life. In 1860, James R. Applegate had a photographic studio in Philadelphia that was three floors high. In 1877, a St. Louis photography magazine visited Applegate’s studio and wrote that he “encases 50 portrait faces every minute…. with a bevy of young ladies finishing the same and scores waiting to be set”. In 1884, Applegate opened the first successful amusement pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The boardwalk included one of his photography studios. In 1891, he moved the carousel from the boardwalk to Philadelphia and a year later, the police raided the carousel and arrested him and 200 guests. He was charged with “keeping a disorderly house” and an unnamed more serious offense.
This vintage real photo postcard captures a a very cute child sitting on a carousel type horse. The child seems to be a bit befuddled by the experience of being photographed. He does not appear to be thrilled with the idea of posing for a photograph. On the other hand, the horse seems perfectly happy. Is the child wearing pajamas? The setting of the photograph is a studio in Yugoslavia. The evidence of that identification is the Yugolslavian stamp on the card. The postmark indicates that the picture was taken in 1973. The postmark is from Vrnjacka Banja. On today’s map, the town is located in central Serbia. SOLD
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 