PORTRAIT OF IDA PEASE IN BLISSFIELD, MICHIGAN (1885)

This cabinet card portrait features an attractive woman named Ida Pease. At the time of the photograph, she was seventeen years old. She was photographed by Dorus Griffeth Freeman (1848-1936) of Blissfield, Michigan. An inscription on the reverse of the photograph indicates the subject’s name and the date of the photograph (1885). Ms. Pease is wearing dark clothing and her top appears to be velvet. She is wearing a bracelet and a collar pin. Her beautiful figure gets an assist from a corset. Research reveals that Ida Pease was born in 1868 in Michigan. According to the 1880 U.S. census, she was the daughter of Seth and Esther Pease who were both born in New York. At the time of the census, she was 12 years old and her father was working as a farmer. Her brother Richard (age 18) also lived in the household.  (SOLD)

Published in: on April 8, 2012 at 12:01 am  Leave a Comment  
Tags: , , , ,

NICELY DRESSED BIKE RIDER IN LAKE ODESSA, MICHIGAN

A young man poses holding a bicycle at the studio of G. A. Shampang in Lake Odessa, Michigan.  The good looking man is dressed in what is probably his finest clothing. Take note of where the backdrop screen reaches the floor. The photographer was a bit careless and did not take notice or action to insure the backdrop touched the floor properly to promote a more credible background. Oops! G. A. Shampang located in Lake Odessa in the late 1890’s. According to an ad in the Lake Odessa Wave, the studio was located above the Lake Odessa Savings Bank on the corner of Fourth Avenue and Second Street. In late 1898 Shampang took on Mr. Mead as a partner, forming Shampang & Mead. Something apparently went wrong with the partnership because Shampang bought back Mead’s shares in the business after just three months of  joint ownership. Shampang operated the gallery until about 1910. In 1911 he moved to California and later on, moved to Saginaw, Oregon where he owned an oil station. In 1931 he succumbed to a stroke. His wife, Ada Ema Rozell, survived him. To learn more about Shampang, visit the web site for the Ionia County Genealogical Society.  SOLD

Published in: on March 28, 2012 at 12:01 am  Leave a Comment  
Tags: , , , ,

THE ENIGMATIC SISTERS OF MONTAGUE, MICHIGAN

This cabinet card presents an enigma. How can this photograph be interpreted? The image features, what are likely, three sisters, gathered around a table. Each of the young woman is holding a book, but only one of the three has their book open. So? What’s the enigma? The mystery concerns the fact that prominently displayed on the table is a picture frame without a picture. The missing picture hasn’t wandered too far away. It can be seen lying on the table, face up, in front of the frame. Hopefully, a cabinet card gallery visitor will leave a comment with their hypothesis as to why the frame and picture are separated in this image. The photographer of this portrait was Theodore A.Wirsing (1865-1938) of Montague, Michigan. Research about Wirsing yielded confusing information. He is reported to have had a studio in Annandale, Minnesota in 1902  and a studio in Maple Lakes, Minnesota in 1902 and 1914. Another source states that Wirsing ran his gallery in Montague between 1890 and 1910. He and his wife, Lillian Bovee Wirsing (1865-1930) are buried in Michigan. Wirsing can also be found in four United States census reports. In 1900, he was living in a boarding house in Corinna, Minnesota, and working as a photographer. He was unmarried. In 1910, Wirsing was living in Annandale, Minnesota and listed as a photographer. .He was also married. In 1920, he was still living in Annandale, Minnesota and he was managing a photographic gallery. In 1930, the 64 year-old, Wirsing, and his wife, were living in Bellingham, Washington. The census also states that Theodore Wirsing was working as a carpenter in Bellingham.

Published in: on February 29, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (4)  
Tags: , , , , , , , ,

ATTRACTIVE COUPLE IN TORONTO, CANADA

This photograph, by Thomas E. Perkins, features an attractive formally dressed couple. The woman is very photogenic. Her dress is very styled and detailed  Her husband appears very intense. The photographer was based in Toronto, Canada. His studio was located at 293 Younge Street. In the 1880’s Perkins employed a fledgeling photographer, William H. Gardiner. Later in his career, Gardiner became well known for his photographic work on Mackinac Island, Michigan.

Published in: on January 28, 2012 at 2:03 pm  Leave a Comment  
Tags: , , , , , , ,

HANDSOME WHITE HAIRED AND WHITE BEARDED GENTLEMAN IN PLAINWELL, MICHIGAN

This handsome older gentleman with white hair and a white beard, is named Adrian Manley (1826-1906). The U.S. census of 1880 reveals that he was married to Elizabeth Manley and that he was employed as a clerk. He and his wife lived with their son Leny, a twenty nine year-old laborer. The 1900 census finds Mr Manley in his seventies living with his wife and two grandchildren, Wane (age 8), and Sylvia (age 6). Adrian Manley’s death certificate lists his occupation as a farmer which likely indicates that farming was his primary work for most of his life. The photographer who produced this photograph was John Morrison Brigham (1863-1933) whose studio was located in Plainwell, Michigan. Brigham attended Indiana Normal College at Valparaiso, Indiana. He studied photography in Plainwell and owned his first gallery there. In 1898 he moved to Battle Creek, Michigan where he opened a photography studio that became very successful. In 1885, Brigham  married Ida M Potter of Mankato, Minnesota. Photo Beacon (1897) printed a review of some of Brigham’s work and it was not complimentary. The reviewer simply wrote, “lots of dead eyes”.

Published in: on December 30, 2011 at 12:01 am  Comments (2)  
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

A MOTHER AND TWO DAUGHTERS IN ALMA, MICHIGAN

L. W. Miller is the photographer of this family portrait in Alma, Michigan. Two curly haired sisters, wearing lace collars and boots, pose with their mother. The girls couldn’t resist smiling for the photographer while their mother  kept her lips pursed and maintained a blank stare. The girls father is notably absent from this image.

Published in: on November 28, 2011 at 12:01 am  Comments (1)  
Tags: ,

PRETTY GIRL IN LUDINGTON, MICHIGAN

A pretty girl poses for her portrait at  a photographic studio in Ludington, Michigan. The photographer was Fred C. Silver (1848-?). Silver was born in Ohio, and came to Ludington in 1871 from Elkhart, Indiana. Upon his arrival, he opened a photographic gallery, becoming the first photographer in Ludington. The town was originally named Pere Marquette, but was later named after industiralist Jmes Ludington. Ludington’s logging operations were the reason the town developed. Ludington became an incorporated city in 1873. The late 19th century brought a boom to the area as a result of the lumber business and the discovery of salt deposits. The young lady in this photograph is wearing a nice dress, and jewelry at her collar. She is displaying a very serious expression in this image.

Published in: on November 11, 2011 at 12:01 am  Leave a Comment  
Tags: ,

DREAMY EYED LITTLE GIRL WITH LOTS OF HAIR IN BANGOR, MICHIGAN

“Gimme head with hair. Long beautiful hair. Shining, gleaming streaming flaxen, waxen. Give me down to there hair. Shoulder length or longer.” The photograph reminds one of the lyrics of the song “Hair” which was performed in the play of the same name.  It seems likely that the adorable little girl in this cabinet card photograph, heard many comments about her beautiful hair. She is wearing a pretty dress and is holding a copy of Wilson’s Photographic Magazine. Posing the girl with this magazine, probably because it was conveniently available in the studio, doesn’t seem quite appropriate. The photographer could have had her bring something personal (ie a doll) from home, or provided her with a prop more relevant for a child.  The dreamy eyed little girl in this photograph is sitting on a very interesting and unique bench. She is wearing flowers near her collar and a necklace with a locket. Northrup, the photographer of this cabinet card, was located in Bangor, Michigan.

Published in: on November 5, 2011 at 12:01 am  Comments (2)  
Tags: , , ,

JULIA BLAESS KLAGER: MICHIGAN BICYCLIST (PHOTOGRAPHED BY FEMALE PHOTOGRAPHER)

An inscription on the reverse of this cabinet card, indicates that the young woman posed with the bicycle, is Julia Blaess Klager. Note the bell on the handlebars of the bike. Julia is beautifully dressed for her portrait at the studio of Susan  T. Cook. Cook had galleries in both Ann Arbor and Dundee, Michigan. She is listed in an 1890 Ann Arbor directory. An attempt to find biographical information about Julia Klager, produced uncertain results. The 1920 US census lists a Julia Klager, residing in Washtenaw, Michigan. Her date of birth was listed as 1877, which could be a match for the woman in this cabinet card. A Julia Klager was also found to be associated with the University of Michigan. A woman with that name received a music degree (piano teacher) in 1907 and is also listed as a music patroness in the 1908 University of Michigan Yearbook.  This musically inclined woman, may, or may not be, the woman in this photograph.

Published in: on September 25, 2011 at 12:01 am  Comments (1)  
Tags: , , , ,

PRETTY WOMAN IN DETROIT, MICHIGAN

A pretty woman poses for her portrait at the studio of A. J. Diehl and Co. in Detroit, Michigan. This partial profile pose accentuates the womans beautiful and large eyes. Diehl’s studio was located at 35 to 39 Monroe Avenue, in Detroit. This portrait was taken some time between 1885 and 1887.Diehl appears to be a journeyman photographer. He moved from one Detroit photograph studio to another at a rapid pace. He was the “Larry Brown” of photography. If you are not a basketball fan, an explanatory note is necessary. Mr Brown is a much travelled basketball coach.  Diehl began his career as an operator in 1876. In 1882 he was a partner in Bracey, Diehl and Co.. In 1885 he operated A. J. Diehl & Co. In 1887, he was a partner in Diehl & Sharpsteen. In 1890 he was a partner in Diehl and Ladd & Co. In 1891, he was a partner in Angell & Diehl.  After this short partnership, he had many other photography jobs through 1923. Perhaps Mr Diehl was a difficult person. Did he have an anger problem? Did he have a substance abuse problem? The reason for his unstable work history is unknown, but he likely had some kind of significant pathology that interfered with his work.

Published in: on August 11, 2011 at 12:01 am  Comments (1)  
Tags: , , ,
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »