ADORABLE LITTLE BOY AND HIS BIG DOG : JOHNSTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA : CABINET CARD

This cabinet card photograph features an adorable little boy posing next to a large dog. The boy is fashionably dressed. The dog appears to be some type of Retriever. Note the painted backdrop behind the boy and his dog. This photo was taken by G. M. Greene. His studio was located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. George Miles Greene married Jennie Davidson in 1861. The couple were divorced in 1880. “The Photographic Times” printed an obituary for Greene in 1895. He passed away at age 65. It is noted that he had a “large practice” in Johnstown before the great flood of 1889. His studio was swept away and “carried down the raging Conemaugh River”. He built a new studio after the flood. In 1894 he sold the business to the Boston Art Company. Greene was forced to sell the business due to ill health.  (SOLD)

Published in: on October 12, 2023 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PORTRAIT OF A PRETTY WOMAN WITH MUSSED HAIR IN JOHNSTOWN, NEW YORK

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This cabinet card portrait features a pretty young woman wearing a dark dress full of distractions. The buttons on the dress are quite prominent and she is also wearing a collar jewelry and a corsage. Hanging from her chain necklace is a ring. One can hypothesize that the ring belongs to her husband or her beau. The woman’s hair is mussed but I imagine that we are looking at a hairstyle and not laziness or apathy on her part. This photograph was taken at the Kibbe studio in Johnstown, New York. William H. Kibbe (1846-1910) was born in Johnstown. As a school student he exhibited a great deal of talent via his pen and pencil sketching. He then worked briefly as a paint shop decorator but soon found more satisfying work at the studio of renowned engraver Vistus Balch. While working there he assisted in the production of engravings from drawings by Felix Octavius Carr Darley who was famous for his illustrations appearing in Charles Dickens’ novels. During this time Kibbe became acquainted with Napoleon Sarony’s portraits which contributed to his becoming an apprentice with photographer James F. Ryder. From this apprenticeship, Kibbe learned about every aspect of operating a photography studio and in 1871 he opened his own studio at 123 West Main Street in the “Kibbe building”.  His studio was decorated with his own oil and watercolor paintings and he was often joined there by his wife and son (Arthur Fonclair Kibbe) who would assist him. Kibbe was a major contributor to several photographic journals. His obituary appears in Wilson’s Photographic Magazine (1910). A portrait of Mr. Kibbe can be seen below.

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Published in: on November 17, 2016 at 12:00 pm  Comments (3)  
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