PORTRAIT OF AN ELDERLY COUPLE : LAPEER, MICHIGAN : VINTAGE PHOTOGRAPH

This photograph features a fashionable wonderful looking elderly couple photographed by David’s Studio in Lapeer, Michigan. The image presents a dignified and deeply human study of age, partnership, and character. The gentleman is seated on the left. He wears a dark suit with vest and tie, formal but modest, and has a full white beard and mustache, with thinning hair brushed back from a high forehead. His expression is calm and direct, conveying a sense of quiet authority and lived experience. The woman, seated beside him, wears a patterned high-neck blouse beneath a darker jacket, consistent with late Victorian / early Edwardian styles worn into the 1910s. Her hair is neatly parted at the center and pulled back tightly, and her expression is steady, reserved, and attentive. The pair sit closely together against a plain dark studio backdrop, emphasizing their faces and posture rather than surroundings. The photographer’s imprint at the lower right reads “Davies Studio, Lapeer, Mich.” Measurements are as follows: 6 x 8 inches (mount & photo), 5 1/2 x 3 7/8 inches (image itself). This photo is in fair condition due to the mount’s top right corner is missing (see scans). The corner loss does not affect the image. The photograph itself is sharp with strong tonal range and good contrast.

This vintage photograph is available for purchase at my store, The History Peddler, for $24.00 at auction.

Interested collectors may view the listing here:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/336438735918

Published in: on February 2, 2026 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PHOTOGRAPHER’S DAUGHTER MAKES GOOD: FAMILY PORTRAIT ENTERS THE CABINET CARD GALLERY

This cabinet card appears to be a family portrait, judging by the similar appearance of many of the subjects in the photograph. This is one very serious and intense family. Were these young men and woman told by the photographer to look dejected and severe?  The photographer of this cabinet card has some interesting biographical facts.  George Shadrach Lofft took this photograph in his studio in Lapeer, Michigan.  In addition to his profession of photography, Lofft was an illustrator who loved to draw pastel and crayon portraits. He had six children and could not support his family as a photographer. In 1902 he moved his family to Philadelphia where he worked for a Dry Plate company. He died in 1937. One of his daughters found great success in the world of literature. Marguerite de Angeli (1889-1987) was a best selling and award winning author and illustrator of children’s books.

Published in: on May 5, 2010 at 12:01 am  Leave a Comment  
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