This vintage cabinet card features a formal indoor studio portrait of a well-dressed man seated at a table with a young woman beside him. The photograph, likely taken in the 1890s or early 1900s, comes from the Dunn studio in Carthage, Ohio, a historically independent village that was later annexed into Cincinnati. The man in the photo appears to be in his late middle years. He wears a smart three-piece suit, an unusual flat-topped cap, and wire-rim glasses. He is captured holding a stemmed glass—possibly filled with wine or another beverage—in one hand, while his other hand rests on a folded newspaper. The expression on his face is dignified and contemplative. Standing beside him is a young female, dressed in a formal white or light-colored dress with puffed sleeves and a ribbon at the waist. Her hairstyle and attire match fashion trends of the late Victorian or early Edwardian period. Her smaller physical stature raises the question: is she a child, or is she an adult woman with dwarfism (historically referred to by the now-outdated term “midget”)? Her mature facial features and posture lean toward the latter possibility, though this cannot be confirmed with certainty. The back of the card has handwritten ink notations that appear to read: “Ruth, midget, Carthage O.” This further supports the interpretation that the subject may be an adult woman of short stature. The photographer’s stamp can be seen in the lower right corner of the front of the card. SOLD
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 