This cabinet card is a portrait of four men sitting around a table drinking beers. The men are wearing dress clothing as they enjoy happy hour at the studio of Axel M. Turnquist, in Eveleth, Minnesota. One of the men is drinking out of a glass, while the other three prefer to imbibe straight out of the bottle. The reverse of the card has a notation indicating that the subjects in the photograph are members of the “Nelson” family. To view other photographs by Turnquist, and learn some biographical facts about him, click on the category “Photographer: Turnquist”.
THE NELSON FAMILY GATHERS FOR SOME BEERS IN EVELETH, MINNESOTA
YOUNG FIREMAN IN CROOKSTON, MINNESOTA
A young uniformed fire fighter poses for his portrait at the studio of P. E. Lynne, in Crookston, Minnesota. The fireman is wearing the insignia of his fire department on his cap and on his shirt. “CFD” likely is an abbreviation for the Crookston Fire Department. The fireman’s badge shows an eagle and a fire wagon.
THE OTHER BOOGIE WOOGIE BUGLE BOY OF COMPANY B……… IN ALBERT LEA, MINNESOTA
This cabinet card features a uniformed bugle boy, posed holding his instrument, and wearing a satchel bag strapped over his shoulder. The boy’s cap has a badge indicating that he was in company B of the “ALC”. “ALC” likely stands for Albert Lea C……”. Perhaps a visitor to the Cabinet Card Gallery can leave a comment identifying the “C” word. The bugle boy, judging by his uniform, was a member of a band. Albert Lea is the name of the Minnesota town where the photographic studio that produced this cabinet card was located. Albert Lea is ninety miles south of Minneapolis, Minnesota; and was named after a topographer with the US Dragoons who surveyed the area in 1835. The photographer of this cabinet card was Joseph A. Fuller (1851-?). Fuller was born in Walworth County, Wisconsin. He worked as a photographer in Decorah, Iowa and Chatfield, Minnesota; before moving to Albert Lea in 1873. At the time of this photograph, Fuller’s studio was on the corner of Williams and Broadway Streets, “over Brown & Cos Bank”. His later studios in Albert Lea included 202 South Broadway (1914-1922) and 204 South Broadway (1924). He worked in Minnesota from the 1870’s through part of the 1920’s.
NOTABLE MUSTACHE IN MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA (THE PHOTOGRAPHER WAS A SCOUNDREL)
This cabinet card features a gentleman with a very notable mustache and bushy sideburns. He looks like a very intense man as he stares at the camera. The man behind the camera was Arthur B. Rugg (1853-?). Rugg’s life story is likely similar to many men who pursued the occupation of photographer. Such a life requires much change; first, working for various photographers in various locations, and finally, making enough money to finance ones own gallery. Rugg, at age 17, was an apprentice to J. C. Moulten of Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Moulton took ill just three weeks after Rugg began his apprenticeship and Rugg was forced to be a quick learner. He operated the gallery by himself and at night consulted with Moulten in his sick chamber , receiving criticisms and instructions. Rugg operated the business on his own for three weeks and the business did not suffer with him at its helm. In 1873, Rugg opened his own gallery but it did not do well, so he moved to Boston and worked for a photographer there for the next two years. He then went to Florida to become an orange grower but he lost everything when the business failed. His next stop was New Orleans where he worked for W. W. Washburn in one of the city’s leading galleries. However, after contacting malaria, he was forced to move North and ended up in LaCrosse, Wisconsin where he worked for a year and a half for a leading studio there. In 1879, he moved to Minneapolis and purchased the studio of William Brown and soon Rugg became one of the leading photographers of Minneapolis. Rugg was also noted for being involved in a major lawsuit that had impact on the profession of photography. The American Journal of Photography (1890) reported that the Supreme Court of Minnesota handed down a decision against Rugg for selling a copy of Mrs. Ida E. Moore’s photograph “which was put on exhibition in improper places, much to the discredit of the lady”. He was ruled to have had no right to the picture which legally belonged to the sitter (Ms. Moore). She won her suit for damages of five thousand dollars although it is not clear if that was the actual amount awarded. Another photography journal of that time reported more specifics of the case. It seems that Rugg had given one of Ms. Moore’s pictures to a police detective named Clark, who showed the photos in a number of houses of ill repute in the Minneapolis and St. Paul area. The court ruled that although the negatives of the photograph belonged to Rugg, he could not print photographs from those negatives without permission from Ms Moore. Mr Rugg seems to have lacked some ethics in this instance. Now, back to that great mustache. To view other photographs of unusual mustaches, click on Cabinet Card Gallery’s category of “Mustaches (Only the Best)”.
FIVE ADORABLE CHILDREN IN ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA
This cabinet card features five adorable children posing together at the studio of W. F. Koester in St. Paul, Minnesota. The children may be siblings, at least three of them have a strong family resemblance. In 1890, photographer, William F. Koester, took a photograph that was fascinating and historic and brought him a great deal of attention. Koester was out photographing “views” from a St. Paul bluff when he fortuitously saw and photographed a tornado approaching the city and touching down on it. The firm of Fredericks & Koester published 5×8 souvenir cards for sale. A local housepainter who aspired to be an oil painter, painted over the photograph, and it became an important work of Minnesota art. A photograph by Fredericks & Koester can be found in the American Museum of Photography (Couple on Toboggan).
PRETTY YOUNG WOMAN IN WINONA, MINNESOTA
A pretty young woman poses for her portrait in the studio of E. A. Lynn, in Winona, Minnesota. The woman appears poised in front of the camera and she has an alert and amused expression. The photographer may be the same E. A. Lynn who had photographic studios listed for sale in Seattle and Tacoma, Washington. His “for sale” notice was listed in a 1911 photographic journal. E. A. Lynn also served as the Vice President (for the state of Washington) of the Photographers Association of the Pacific Northwest.
FORMALLY DRESSED COUPLE IN SPRING VALLEY, MINNESOTA
A beautifully dressed couple pose for their portrait at a studio in Spring Valley, Minnesota. The photographer is Lucious M. Schofield who operated out of Spring Valley between 1889 and 1894. . Schofield’s gallery was taken over by E. G. Washburn. The couple in this photograph is dressed for a formal occasion and the quality of their clothing indicates that they are likely financially secure.
TWO TEENAGE GIRLS POSE FOR THEIR PORTRAIT IN AUSTIN, MINNESOTA
Two pretty teenage girls pose for their portrait at the studio of J. O. Booen, in Austin, Minnesota. The seated girl is holding a photograph on her lap. The girls appear to be wearing identical long dark dresses and are likely sisters. Research has revealed little about Booen. He apparently operated out of Sanborn and Austin, Minnesota, and later, out of Winnebago City, Minnesota. He may have been a traveling photographer at one point and did some work in British Columbia, Canada. Booen has a panoramic photograph in the Library of Congress.
MARY BRAMER: SHAPELY WOMAN IN DULUTH, MINNESOTA
A shapely (corseted) young woman poses for her portrait at the Banks Brothers studio in Duluth, Minnesota. It feels a bit uncomfortable calling her shapely, considering she is likely someone’s great great great grandmother. Hopefully, her descendants will accept the Cabinet Card Gallery’s apologies in advance if they should happen to visit this site. The subject is posed behind a short wall and her hat is placed upon the wall. The young woman is named Mary Bramer. Her identity is found written on the reverse of the card. The photographed woman is possibly the Mary Bramer, who was born 11/2/1872 in Minnesota and died 12/7/1959 in Lake County, Minnesota.
DAPPER MAN WITH BIG MUSTACHE AND SMALL BEARD IN MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA
A well dressed man with a large mustache and a clump of chin whiskers, poses for his portrait at the studio of Eggan, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. To see other interesting exhibitions of facial hair, visit the Cabinet Card Gallery’s categories of Beards (Only the Best) and Mustaches (Only the Best). It is difficult to identify the photographer of this photograph. The city of Minneapolis hosted a number of photographers that shared the name “Eggan”, each of them sharing the same studio address. Apparently the Eggan family, which was of Norwegian descent, had a passion for photography. Photographers included Ole P., Halvor P., S. A., Sevor P., Stephen, and James Eggan.
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 