This cabinet card portrait features a young attractive woman. She is dressed in an interesting manner. It looks like she is wearing a large neckerchief held in place by a broach, but thats just my best guess. The photographer did an excellent job with the lighting in this photograph. The photographer of this image is C. R. Baker who was located at 35, 37, and 39 Monroe Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. Business directories for Detroit list Charles R. Baker as a photo printer beginning in 1876 and his listing soon changes to photographer and appears in directories through 1919. The Photographic Times (1884) has a “seeking employment” ad placed by Baker. He was searching for a job as a “first class printer and toner”. The 1900 U.S. census reveals that Baker lived with his wife, Sarah, and his 14 year old son Owen. Both Baker and his wife were 40 years old. The couple also appear together in the 1920 census. The census indicates that Charles Baker was born in Massachusetts and worked as a photographer. (SOLD)
This cabinet card photograph is absolutely precious. The photographer did a fantastic job of posing the child and the dog. The child is wearing a half smile and the dog is flashing a serious and inquisitive stare at the photographer. Is this child a boy or a girl? It is difficult to ascertain oftentimes in vintage young children’s photographs. One confounding factor is that many boys wore dresses till they reached five or six years-old. Sometimes, but not always, the way a child parted their hair, can be a clue to identifying their gender. Boys generally wore their hair parted on the side while girl’s hair was usually parted in the center. This photograph was taken by the Hall and Son studio, located in Detroit, Michigan. Henry M. Hall was born in New York in 1835. He married Eliza Hall in about 1855. The couple had three daughters and one son. The Detroit directory listed Henry and his son, Roswell (1864-?), as photographers as well as portrait and landscape painters in 1884. The firm employed two photographers, Alexander Campbell (1884) and John Bennett (1885). It is not clear if the photography studio operated beyond 1884-1885. During the 1890’s, Henry created a number of sign painting partnerships. He also had an interest in a cigar manufacturing company in 1898. Henry’s son, Roswell E. Hall was a painter and shipping clerk between 1879 and 1884. He worked as a photographer with his father between 1884 and 1885. He remained in Detroit and held various jobs; crockery store clerk and department manager (1886-1891), manufacturers agent and department store clerk (1892-1898), and foreman in an iron works (1899-1902 as well as in 1910). Roswell married Emma Hall in 1887 or 1888. The couple had four children. This cabinet card portrait is in very good condition (see scans)
This cabinet card features a portrait of an attractive young lady. She is posed with her back toward the camera, a pose which offers a profile view. The photographer of this image is Samuel Sharpsteen of Grand Rapids, Michigan and the photograph was taken in 1890. The previous owner of this cabinet card stated that Sharpsteen was of the Jewish faith, but that is not factually correct. There is a tendency for owners of cabinet cards to see a name that “sounds Jewish” and assume that the bearer of that name, must be Jewish. This kind of logic results in many incorrect identifications of Jewish photographers. It so happens, that Mr. Sharpsteen was of the Methodist faith. Samuel Sharpsteen was born in 1850 near Battle Creek, Michigan. His parents were native New Yorkers who were among the early settlers of Michigan. He was educated in Battle Creek’s public schools and at age 20 left home to apprentice in photography. He then went of Owosso, Michigan, where he and his older brother opened a gallery. After six months, his brother left the partnership; and Sharpsteen stayed in Owosso until 1882. He also married his wife there. His wife’s name was Nattie Tuttle, and she was from Cleveland, Ohio. His next location was Ionia, Michigan, where he stayed 8 years. An 18 month stint in Detroit was followed by his move to Grand Rapids. His gallery was in Grand Rapids from 1888 until , at least, 1903. His studio moved around a lot. Research located nine different Grand Rapids locations over the years that he was there. In addition, he had a partner in 1890 and their studio was known as Sharpsteen & Andrews. The Bulletin of Photography (1916) announced Sharpsteen’s death. He died in Grand Rapids at age 71. This cabinet card photograph is in very good condition (see scans).
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 