A pretty woman is a stylish dress poses for her portrait at the J. B. Wilson studio in Chicago, Illinois. She is wearing a pretty hat and is holding an open parasol over her shoulder. Her left arm is hidden but magnification shows that she has placed her left hand on her hip. She is thin waisted, probably courtesy of a corset. The reverse of the photograph has an inscription that identifies the young woman pictured in the image. However, the identification is somewhat tentative. The inscription states “Aida Bushnell, I think”. To view other photographs by J. B. Wilson, click on the category “Photographer: Wilson (JB)”. The 1900 US census lists the subject as “Addie” and reports that she was born in 1866 and was married to Henry Bushnell since 1888. She and her husband had three children; Howard (age 11), David (age 8), and Miriam (age 4). Henry worked as a laborer while Addie was a dressmaker.The family was living in Lisbon, Illinois. The 1910 census finds the family living in St. Charles, Illinois. The only child remaining home was Miriam (listed as Marion). Henry still worked as a laborer. The 1920 census identifies Aida as “Ada”. She and her husband were still living in St. Charles. Henry was disabled and not working while Ada was also unemployed. The 1930 census indicates that the 74 year-old Henry and 64 year-old “Addie” remained in St. Charles. The 1940 census reveals that Addie had become a widowed boarder in a St. Charles residence.
PRETTY LADY AND HER PARASOL IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS (IDENTIFIED AS AIDA BUSHNELL)
PORTRAIT OF BEAUTIFUL ACTRESS EVANGELINE IRVING (BY CELEBRITY PHOTOGRAPHER WILLIAM McKENZIE MORRISON OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS)
The previous owner of this photograph, reported the subject to be theatrical actress Evangeline Irving. Visual comparison to other portraits of Evangeline Irving support this identification. Evangeline Irving was an theater actress and the sister of a more successful theater actress named Isabel Irving. See Isabel’s portrait by searching for it in the Cabinet Card Gallery. This photograph was produced by William McKenzie Morrison, the Chicago, Illinois, based celebrity photographer. View other Morrison photographs by clicking on category “Photographer: Morrison”. The New York Times (1895) reported that Evangeline substituted for Isabel in a matinee performance of “The Case of Rebellious Susan”. Isabel was suffering from hoarseness. A number of New York Times (1895, 1896) articles describes a banking fiasco that Evangeline Irving was able to resolve. Her mother had gone to the Lincoln Safe Deposit Company to get twenty thousand dollars worth of bonds out of her box. When she could not find the bonds in the box, she ran out of the vault screaming that she had been robbed. She went home ill, and took to bed. She complained around town and soon her Senator contacted the bank demanding she be compensated with a check replacing her loss. The situation caused many people to run to their banks to see if their safety deposit box holdings had disappeared. Mrs. Irving caused a mini run on the city banks. It took awhile for Mrs. Irving’s daughters to get involved because both of the women were performing out west. Isabel was playing roles with the Lyceum Company and Evangeline was part of Stuart Robson’s Company. Soon, Evangeline came to the bank and after opening the safe deposit box found the bonds tied up in a bundle in the box. An apology was issued to the bank and made public.
PRETTY WOMAN WITH FRIZZY HAIR IN MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN
This cabinet card features a pretty woman with frizzy hair. She is wearing a dress with a high collar and a long necklace. The photographer did an excellent job of capturing the woman’s facial expressiveness. The Holdmann Photo Studio produced this image. The propietor of the studio was Edward Lutzenberger and the studio had a location in both Chicago, Illinois and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Printing on the reverse of the photograph indicates that this image came from the Milwaukee studio. Also on the reverse of the photograph is printed guarantee and request for feedback that could be seen on any internet auction site. Lutzenberger guarantees that photographic portraits from his studio would not fade. The statement that sounds like it could be from modern day times is “If you are pleased tell others, if not tell us.” Lutzenberger probably purchased his studio from Charles Holdmann (1851-?). Holdmann’s studio was located at 224 Grand Avenue in Milwaukee. The 1900 US census reveals that Edward Lutzenberger lived at his mother-in-law’s house with his wife Anna Drager Lutzenberger and their one year-old daughter Norma. Lutzenberger and his wife married in 1897. Both Edward and Anna were born in Wisconsin. Edward was of German descent. He was employed as a photographer. The 1910 US census reports that Edward and his wife and daughter remained in Milwaukee and Edward was still working as a photographer. The 1920 census lists Edward and Anna as still living in Milwaukee with their, then 20 year old daughter Norma. There was a new addition to the household. Norma had a six year old son named Edward. It seems young Edward was born when Norma was around 14 years old. Norma was employed at the time of the census as a stenographer. The 1930 and 1940 census found Edward and Anna living in Milwaukee and Edward was working for the Railroad police. Milwaukee business directories list Edward as a photographer from 1894 through 1913. He certainly may have worked as a photographer in additional years but research could not document other years.
PRETTY AUNT MARTHA DISCOVERS LEAVES ON STEROIDS IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
According to an inscription on the reverse of this cabinet card, the pretty woman featured in this cabinet card photograph is “Aunt Martha’. She is wearing a ring on her right index finger and is also wearing a hair bow. Aunt Martha poses for this photograph while standing at the proverbial garden wall. Note the giant leaves atop the post of the wall. The Taylor & Martin studio produced this photograph. The studio was located in Chicago, Illinois.
SWEET LITTLE GIRL AND HER PARASOL IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
A sweet little girl poses for her portrait at the Rothschild studio in Chicago, Illinois. She is holding a pretty parasol and her curls are covered by a large bonnet. The little girl is identified on the reverse of the photograph as Florence Peterson. It is also noted that the studio was located on State Street and Van Buren. The studio was within the A. M. Rothschild Department Store and the store was opened at the aforementioned address in 1881. The store was bought out by Marshall Fields in 1923. Research was unsuccessful at uncovering information about little Miss Peterson because “Florence Peterson” was a relatively common name in Chicago at the time this image was produced.
HANDSOME COUPLE IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
This photograph features an attractive couple posing for a photographer in Chicago, Illinois. The photographer’s last name is Banks and his studio was located at 2445 Kensington Avenue. The couple is very well dressed and share very serious expressions.The gentleman has a terrific mustache which curls at both ends. The couple are unidentified and no biographical information was found about the photographer.
WEDDING COUPLE IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
This photograph features a bride and groom on their wedding day. The bride is wearing a beautiful white wedding dress and has a flower bouquet on her lap. The handsome groom is wearing a corsage and has a small pocket watch hanging near the top of his vest. Judging by their fashionable wedding attire, this couple appears to be well-to-do. The wedding portrait photogrrapher was Friesleben of 3932 State Street, in Chicago, Illinois. Louis W. Friesleben is listed by one source as operating his photographic studio from the State Street address between 1887 and 1900. An 1893 portrait taken by Friesleben of Plains Indians, who were part of an exhibit at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago, is part of the collection of photographs that can be seen in the online National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.
A WOMAN AND HER BOOK IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
A thinnish young woman poses for her portrait at the studio of H. Huebner in Chicago, Illinois. She is dressed nicely and hopefully a visitor to the Cabinet Card Gallery can tell us more about her dress. The design of the dress seems unusual and I am particularly interested in what material the dress is made from. The young woman is holding an open book.The previous owner of this image hypothesized that the subject of this photograph was a school teacher.
SWEET LITTLE GIRL AND HER FANCY DOLL IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
This cabinet card features a nicely dressed cute little girl posing with her large fancy doll. The curly haired girl is wearing plenty of lace and a necklace. Note how fashionably the doll is dressed. The photographer of this image is Henry Levin of Chicago, Illinois. The child’s last name is identified as Werner on the reverse of the photograph. Her first name is illegible. The inscription states that the girl was two and half years old at the time of the photograph.
LITTLE EDDIE : WEARING A TOP COAT AND TOP HAT : BUFFALO, NEW YORK : CABINET CARD
Who is Little Eddie? “Little Eddie” is the subject of this cabinet card photograph but research yielded no information about him. In this image, long haired Little Eddie is wearing a top coat and top hat. He is also wearing a lace collar with a triangular bib. He has a flower pinned to his lapel and a white handkerchief in his breast pocket. He is holding a wand type stick. The object has a small handle. The boy in this picture has a look of a showman. Perhaps he wasn’t even a boy but instead an adult midget (the term “little person” was not yet used). The photographer of this image was Edward A. Remington who was a native of Greenfield, Massachusetts and came to Buffalo, New York from Chicago, Illinois. Remington’s obituary appears in The Professional and Amateur Photographer (1909). The article states that he was a “widely known” photographer in Buffalo for 15 years. He left behind a widow, Mrs. Mamie Remington. (SOLD)
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 