CARTE de VISITE PORTRAIT : ANTHONY TROLLOPE : NOVELIST: PHOTO BY NAPOLEON SARONY

This carte de visite portrait features British author, Anthony Trollope (1815-1882). He has been described as “one of the most successful, prolific and respected novelists of the Victorian era. His best known work was a series of novels known as the “Chronicles of Barsetshire”. He also wrote novels revolving around political, social and gender issues. This cdv’s photograph of Trollope was taken by Napoleon Sarony. Sarony was a celebrated and talented celebrity photographer based in New York City. (SOLD)

PORTRAIT OF AN ELEGANT GENTLEMAN BY OLIVER SARONY, NOTED ENGLISH PHOTOGRAPHER (CABINET CARD)

This cabinet card portrait features an elegant gentleman. He is holding his top hat in one hand and a cane in the other. He ill well dressed and judging by his attire, he was a man of means. This photograph was taken in Scarborough, a town in North Yorkshire, England. The photo is from the studio of Oliver Sarony, a well known and commercially successful photographer. His studio had 98 rooms and at one point he had 110 employees. He was born in Quebec in 1820 and he came to England in 1843. He worked as a photographer in several English towns until he settled in Scarborough in 1857. He died in 1879. The business continued into the 20th century under the name Sarony & Co. The business was initially managed by Samuel Waind Fisher the husband of Oliver’s niece, Jennie. Interestingly Jennie was the daughter of Napoleon Sarony, the talented and well known celebrity photographer located in New York City. Note the inscription on the reverse of the photograph. The name of the signee appears to be “Tillis” and the inscription is dated “1877”. This cabinet card is in very good condition (see scans).

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FATHER AND DAUGHTER ACT : PHOTOGRAPH BY NAPOLEON SARONY

Unfortunately, I can’t figure it out. Is this a photograph of a father and daughter or are the pair performers of the New York stage? The man looks dapper in his suit, top hat, and cane. The young girl is adorable and well dressed. Be sure to note her shoes/boots. The gentleman is very photogenic and certainly has the appearance of an actor. The photographer of this “enigmatic” portrait is Napoleon Sarony, the well known and highly respected celebrity photographer. Sarony photographed a large number of the actors and actresses appearing in New York theater. He was an eccentric man but very talented.  A faded inscription on the reverse of the photo indicates that the photograph was taken in 1879.   (SOLD)

Published in: on January 14, 2020 at 12:00 pm  Comments (4)  
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PORTRAIT OF MAC BARNES PLAYING JESUS IN A THEATRICAL PRODUCTION (PHOTO BY MAX PLATZ)

This cabinet card photograph features actor Mac Barnes. He certainly looks like that he is in character to play Jesus in a theatrical production. His long hair, beard, and robe lead me to this hypothesis. An inscription below the image on the cabinet card states “Peace! Sincerely, Mac”. Before seeing this inscription, I thought my generation (Baby Boomers) were the first cohort to use the word “peace” when addressing each other. Mac Barnes (1863-1923) is listed in the IMDb. He was born in Bedford, Indiana, He was a vaudeville, stage, and screen actor. He was known for his roles in “The Food Gamblers” (1917), “The Haunted House” (1917), and  “Experience” (1921), His filmography includes 21 credits from 1909 through 1921. The photographer of this cabinet card photograph is Max Platz (1850-1894) who operated a studio in Chicago Illinois. Platz was born in Germany. His father was a tanner and he moved the family to Racine, Wisconsin when Platz was still a lad. He began his career at age 16 as a “positionist” in his brother-in-laws photographic gallery. His brother-in-law was Henry Rocher, a very talented and well respected photographer. He was Rocher’s primary assistant from 1867 through 1881. In 1881 Platz established his own photography business and encountered immediate success. He was a life long bachelor and clubman and was known for his wit, friendliness, and story-telling. He developed quite a following from members of the theater, German-American society, and the fashion world. His studio was decorated very elaborately. He employed antiques as props, much in the same way as Napoleon Sarony. It is written that his posing style resembled his friend, Benjamin Falk. Platz was an active member of the Chicago Photographic Association in 1893, he played an major role in the Department of Art for the Columbian Exposition. When Platz died in 1894, his studio and negatives went to his friend and fellow Rocher Student Joseph Gehrig and his pupil, James Samuel Windeatt. Wilson’s Photographic Magazine (1904) declares that a photographic session with Platz could be quirky. It seems that he had a habit of disappearing mid-sitting in order to find a quiet place to ponder the best poses he could utilize for his sitter. Platz earned the nickname “The Sarony of the West”. This cabinet card portrait is in very good condition. (see scans).   (SOLD)

PORTRAIT OF PRETTY THEATER ACTRESS: MILLIE COOK (PHOTOGRAPH BY NAPOLEON SARONY)

The pretty young woman seen in this cabinet card photograph is a theater actress named Millie Cook. She was a well-known New York variety entertainer and actress in the 1870’s. She played roles in such productions as “Blue Beard”,  “The Female Jack Sheppard” and in Niblo Garden’s ballet extravaganza “Leo and Lotos”. She was also a star at Tony Pastor’s and at the Union Square Theater. Tony Pastor is considered by many to be the “father of American Vaudeville”. Theater Magazine (1918) describes Miss Cook as “a good looker and a fair actress”. This cabinet card portrait was photographed by celebrity photographer, Napoleon Sarony. Note Millie Cook’s birds nest  hair-do.  SOLD

Published in: on May 8, 2018 at 12:02 pm  Comments (1)  
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PORTRAIT OF A LOVELY COUPLE BY CELEBRATED PHOTOGRAPHER OTTO SARONY

otto sarony

This portrait of a lovely young couple was produced by the Otto Sarony studio in New York City. Otto Sarony (1850-1903) was the son of celebrated celebrity photographer Napoleon Sarony. Otto was quite talented in his own right and he also was a photographer of the rich and famous. It is impossible to know the extent of Otto’s work because he began directing photographic sessions that appeared under his fathers signature beginning in the late 1880’s. It has been reported that he was involved with every studio portrait from 1893 until his father’s death in 1896. Otto was the sole owner of the studio from 1896 until near the end of 1898. In 1898 he sold his business and all of his equipment and supplies to Jonathan Burrow. Also included in the sale was the trade-mark “Sarony”. In 1902 Otto Sarony sold the rights to his name (Otto Sarony) to photographic businessman Theodore C Marceau and took on the role of Marceau’s manager from the end of 1902 until late 1903. At the time Sarony was looking to fund his yachting activities. After Sarony’s death in 1903 the Otto Sarony Company remained as a brand until World War I.  Since the Otto Sarony Company was producing photographs long after Sarony’s death, one must keep in mind that many photographs with the Sarony label were not taken by Sarony. This fact makes it difficult for those who collect Sarony images.  On a side note, Otto Sarony was an athlete and a founding member of the New York Athletic Club. To view other photographs by Otto Sarony, click on the category “Photographer: Sarony (Otto).

 

 

 

Published in: on June 2, 2016 at 11:12 am  Leave a Comment  
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PORTRAIT OF A TEENAGE GIRL IN DEWSBURY, ENGLAND (CARTE DE VISITE)

monochrome

A teenage girl poses for her portrait at the J. Garratt studio in Dewsbury. Where is Dewsbury? There are a number of towns sharing that name but Garratt’s Dewsbury is in England. John Garratt had studios in Dewsbury and West Town. He is cited in the Journal of Photography (1877) and in the British Journal of Photography (1880 and 1881). Next to Garratt”s name is the phrase “From Saronys” and the phrase is printed above the word “Scarbro”. Is there a connection between Mr. Garratt and Napoleon Sarony?  At first I thought that Garratt might have worked for the celebrated photographer in New York City, Napoleon Sarony. Preliminary research provided me with an answer.  “Scarbro” is an abbreviation for Scarborough, a town in North Yorkshire, England. A well known and commercially successful photographer in Scarborough was a man named Oliver Sarony. His studio had 98 rooms and at one point he had 110 employees.  He was born in Quebec in 1820 and he came to England in 1843. He worked as a photographer in several English towns until he settled in Scarborough in 1857. He died in 1879. The business continued into the 20th century under the name Sarony & Co. The business was initially managed by Samuel Waind Fisher the husband of Oliver’s niece, Jennie. Interestingly Jennie was the daughter of Napoleon Sarony. To make a long story longer, it certainly appears that John Garratt was once employed by Oliver Sarony.