This cabinet card portrait features a family of four posing for their portrait at an unidentified photo studio. Mom is wearing a dark dress with a veil. Is she in mourning? Note the length of the two oldest daughters hair. Their hair is quite long. to say the least. This cabinet card was found in a shop near Bethel, New York. The photo is from the earliest part of the cabinet card era. My hypothesis is that the photo dates back to sometime between the 1860’s and early to mid 1870’s. SOLD
EARLY CABINET CARD PORTRAIT OF A WOMAN IN A BLACK DRESS (MOURNING PHOTO)
This early cabinet card portrait features a seated older woman wearing a black dress. This is likely a mourning photo. The woman has a stoic expression. She is posed in front of a stark backdrop. The woman’s name, the name of the photographer, and the location of the studio, are all unknown. This cabinet card photo is in excellent condition (see scans).

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ELDERLY WOMAN WEARING MOURNING DRESS IN EDMONTON, CANADA
This carte de visite portrait features an aged woman wearing mourning clothes. Her black dress, black hat, and sad expression, all suggest that she has suffered a recent loss. Her left hand is placed on a book atop a small table. The book is likely a bible. The photographer of this cdv photograph is J. R. Bentley. He operated a studio in Edmonton, Canada. Research found an ad in “The Photographic News” (1893) in which Bentley advertises the sale of his studio. It is very interesting to note that the advertising on the reverse of this CDV refers to Bentley as a “Portrait, Landscape, & Equestrian Photographer”. I do not remember ever seeing a early photographer refer to himself as a “Equestrian” photographer. I wonder if Mr. Bentley took photos of individual horses, or if he photographed individuals sitting on horses. I hope someday I locate one of Bentley’s equestrian photographs.

SOLEMN YOUNG WOMAN IN MOURNING IN TOPEKA, KANSAS
A young woman, perhaps a teenager, poses for her portrait at the Daylight Studio in Topeka, Kansas. She appears quite solemn and is wearing a black dress with black satin sashes and bows. Perhaps she is in mourning. The young lady is wearing a collar pin and a ring. She is beautifully dressed and is pretty despite her apparent discomfort at being photographed. (SOLD)

FASHIONABLE WOMAN IN BLACK BEADED DRESS IN URBANA, OHIO
The lady is in black, possibly in mourning. She is wearing a pretty black lace heavily beaded dress. A hair ornament in her hair, a corsage on her dress, and fingerless gloves complete her ensemble. The woman wears a serious expression and has piercing eyes. The lighting in this portrait is well done and highlights the woman and her dress. The photographer of this interesting cabinet card image is F. G. Wilhelmi who operated a photography studio in Urbana, Ohio. Fred G Wilhelmi, like many of photographer colleagues, got around. He appears to have begun his photography career in Cumberland, Maryland (1871-1880). He then practiced his trade in Urbana (1885-1889) and Cleveland (1890- 1900 or later). The dates provided are approximate and come from two guides about early Ohio photographers.

POSSIBLE MEMORIAL PORTRAIT OF A MAN IN KEWAUNEE, WISCONSIN
This cabinet card is unusual in that the portrait of the subject (man) is placed over a drawing of a stark winter scene. It is likely that the gentleman’s portrait is framed in this manner because the cabinet card is meant to be a memorial or mourning photograph. I have never seen a cabinet card with this type of border design. The photographer of this image is the Mutzbauer studio in Kewaunee, Wisconsin. The Mutzbauer studio was located in Kewaunee between 1887 and 1896. It later operated in Milwaukee, and it appears to have closed in 1928. The studio was started by Joseph Mutzbauer (1856-1915). He had two children that went into his business, Joseph L. Mutzbauer (1884-1965) and Louise Mutzbauer Macosta (1880-?). SOLD

MOURNING IN SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
This cabinet card photograph captures an older woman dressed in her mourning clothes. She has suffered a loss and is wearing black. The woman is also wearing earrings and a matching collar pin. The clarity of this image is notable. The photographic studio is Elite; located at No. 838 Market Street, San Francisco, California. The photographers are Jones & Lotz, who are listed on the reverse of the card. To view more of their photographs, click on the category “Photographer: Jones & Lotz”.

MOURNING IN PORTLAND, MAINE
This Cabinet Card may be a mourning card; a photograph of a woman in grief over the loss of a loved one. Sadness permeates this cabinet card and the woman’s expression. The photographer is Joseph Harrison Lamson (1840-1901) of Portland, Maine. The photographer’s father was a maker of daguerrotypes and his mother was an artist. He began his career in photography in Bangor, Maine and then worked in Cuba, the West Indies, and South America. He made a fortune and then bought a studio in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He then moved to Maine and operated a photographic studio in Portland. He photographed the poets Longfellow and Whittier. When he died, his two sons took over the studio.

AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMAN IN MOURNING DRESS IN WASHINGTON D.C.
This Cabinet Card is a portrait of Mrs. Brena Fantleroy who resided on P Street in Washington D.C. She appears to be wearing a mourning dress as well as a very serious expression. Note her veil, jewelry and small purse. The photographer is F. T. Castle of Washington D.C.

BEAUTIFUL WOMAN POSES IN HER MOURNING ATTIRE IN LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY
A beautiful woman poses for her portrait for a photographer in the studio of Klauber in Louisville, Kentucky. The woman’s name is J. T. Lane. She is wearing a black mourning dress with elaborate beading and ribbons. She is wearing an interesting black hat and black gloves. Ms Lane is holding a hankie and a book. The photograph comes from a collection of photographs which belonged to a Charleston, South Carolina family. The same collection featured a number of photographs of a woman named Effe May Blanchard who married prominent Charlestonian Julian Hazelhurst Walter. A portrait and description of the life of the attractive Ms Blanchard-Walter can be found by clicking on the tag found below this entry. The relationship between J. T. Lane and Ms Blanchard-Walter is unknown. The photographer of this portrait, Edward Klauber was considered by many to be one of the best photographers of his time. He was a native of Bohemia who came to the United States at age eighteen. His large and elegant studio was compared to the studio of Matthew Brady in New York City. The studio was lavishly furnished. Stage personalities like Mary Anderson enjoyed having portraits done by Klauber when they were in Louisville performing at the Macauley theatre. Klauber’s studio closed in 1913 and he died in 1918.
