This cabinet card features pretty actress/singer, Lillian Grubb. The New York Times (1884) reported that the young Baltimore actress had applied to a local court to have her marriage annulled from George Steitmatter, alias, George Deberhard. She wanted her marriage declared null and void due to her husband’s misrepresentation about his marital and financial status. He claimed to be single and wealthy. While still Grubb’s fiance, Mr. Steitmatter claimed that the couple needed to marry quickly because he was about to embark on a trip to Germany. When Ms. Grubb agreed to tie the knot (sometime in 1883) , Steitmatter supposedly left for Germany. In reality, he had gone to New York, the home of his lawful wife. When Ms. Grubb learned that her new husband was already married and was actually in New York; she took the reported legal action. The top cabinet card was published by Newsboy as part of a series of actress photographs (#87). These photographs were used by the company as premiums for their tobacco products. The second cabinet card is a portrait produced by celebrity photographer Jose Mora. She is quite beautiful and appears very coy in this somewhat provocative photograph. Below is an example of one of the many cigarette cards that featured Miss Grubb. This premium was produced by Duke (#N140) as part of their “Yacht Club Colors Series” and was published in 1890.
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 