WEDDING COUPLE PORTRAIT : HALSTAD, MINNESOTA : O. E. FLATEN : CABINET CARD

This photographic portrait captures a lovely formally dressed couple. It is likely that this is a wedding photo. Both the man and the woman are dressed in formal clothing. In addition, the gentleman is wearing a  boutonniere while the woman is wearing a corsage. Looks like wedding attire to me. The photographer is O. E. Flaten who at the time of the photograph, had studios in Moorehead and Halstad, Minnesota; as well as in Gardner, North Dakota. Research reveals that Ole E. Flaten (1854 or 1865- 1933) was born in Vanders, Norway and emigrated to the United States. He worked as a photographer from the 1870’s through the 1920’s, retiring in 1930. This cabinet card portrait has minor edge and cornerwear and is in very good condition (see scans).

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Published in: on January 26, 2022 at 12:01 am  Comments (1)  
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PORTRAIT OF A FAMILY IN NORWAY, MAINE BY A MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARING PHOTOGRAPHER

This cabinet card features a family portrait by the Swan & Stone gallery in Norway, Maine. The composition of this family seems to include an older couple and their adult daughter. The women are well dressed in black dresses and the gentleman is wearing a vested suit. The older woman is wearing a collar pin and has a newspaper or magazine on her lap. The younger woman has a ribbon on the upper part of her dress. The older man is wearing a pocket watch and chain. Perhaps this image is a mourning photograph. Research revealed some information about the photographers of this photo. To view additional photographs by Swan, place his name in this blog’s search box.  John Wesley Swan (1857-?) appears in the 1884 Portland, Maine city directory as a photographer. The 1900 US census reveals that Swan was Canadian born and lived in Norway with his wife (Annie) and their two daughters. Swan married his wife in 1883. According to Anthony’s Photographic Bulletin (1900), Swan’s studio was destroyed by fire and he lost a large number of valuable negatives of scenery in the area of Norway. The journal also states that the “loss was large and the insurance is said to be small”. Swan was the official photographer of the Grand Trunk Railway system. He won a gold medal at the Paris Exposition according to Photo-Era magazine (1900). At one point in his career in Norway, Swan had a partner in his business (Swan & Cobb). John Wesley Swan was involved in a bizarre incident that made the annals of the history of Norway. The book,  “A History of Norway, Maine: From the Earliest Settlement to the Close of the Year 1922”, tells a  mysterious story about Mr. Swan. While on a trip to Boston in 1893, Swan disappeared for a period of about six months. The writer states that Swan “claimed to have been sand-bagged and robbed in Boston and when he partially recovered consciousness found himself in New Orleans”. His memory had “left him” and he wandered around until his memory returned while he was in Texas. Swan returned to Norway and explained his disappearance to his friends and family, and community. According to the writer, many doubted the validity of his explanation. I found less information about photographer, George F. Stone (1856-1924). He is listed as a photographer in the 1910 and 1920 US census. Business directories list report that he was a photographer at least between 1915 and 1922, He was listed as a painter in the 1889 directory.   (SOLD)

Published in: on June 26, 2018 at 12:00 pm  Comments (3)  
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PORTRAIT OF HARRIET BOSSE: SCANDINAVIAN ACTRESS PHOTOGRAPHED BY FERDINAND FLODIN

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This vintage real photo postcard features Harriet Sofie Bosse (1878-1961) who was an actress of Swedish/Norwegian background. Her father was a German publisher who for business reasons moved his family a number of times back and forth between Oslo (Norway) and Stockholm (Sweden). Harriet was the thirteenth of fourteen children in her family. Two of her sisters were performers. She was well known for her acting but also for being the third wife of playwright August Strindberg. Bosse began her acting career in a company run by her older sister in Oslo. She developed a problem with this sister (Alma) when the sister discovered that Harriet was having an affair with her husband.  Harriet clearly had a boundary problem. After appearing at the Royal Dramatic Theater in Stockholm, she was noticed by Strindberg. He was enamored with her acting ability as well as her exotic “oriental” appearance. The pair were married in 1901; he was 52 years old and she was just 21. The marriage was short and volatile. Strindberg had a history of a jealousy problem that some considered to be actual paranoia. In 1908 Bosse married Swedish actor Anders Gunnar Wingard and later had a third marriage to movie idol Edvin Adolphson in 1927. Her second and third marriages both ended in divorce after just a few years. After retiring from acting, in the midst of World War II, she returned to Oslo. This postcard photograph was taken by Ferdinand Flodin (1863-1935). He was a Swedish photographer who operated a studio in Stockholm. He was well known for his portrait work, especially of theatrical performers. He was educated in the United States from 1883 to 1887. For the next two years he ran a photography gallery in Worcester, Massachusetts. He then returned to Sweden. In 1906 he became secretary of the Swedish Photogaphers Association, a post he held nine years. This postcard was published by Axel Eliasson’s Art Publishers. The publishing house was founded in 1890 and the Stockholm company was the leading producer of postcards in Sweden for many years. A number of Ferdinand Flodin’s cabinet card photographs that were produced at his Massachusetts studio can be seen in the Cabinet Card Gallery. To view these images click on the category “Photographer: Flodin”.  SOLD

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                                                                                                                                                                 Self-Portrait of Ferdinand Flodin

Published in: on January 4, 2016 at 7:24 pm  Comments (1)  
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FAMOUS NORWEGIAN-AMERICAN SCULPTOR: JAKOB FJELDE IN MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA (CABINET CARD PORTRAIT)

 

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This cabinet card portrait features famous Norwegian-American sculptor Jakob Fjelde (1855-1896). Fjelde is wearing an interesting overcoat with embroidery on it’s shoulders. Perhaps this is a coat that he wore while creating his sculpture. He has a attractive bushy mustache and is holding a half smoked cigar. Fjelde was born in Alesund, Norway and arrived in the United States in 1887. He settled in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was the father of sculptor Paul Fjelde and brother of artist Pauline Fjelde. Jakob was a prolific portraitist and created a number of public monuments. One of his most well known monuments was one dedicated to the 1st Minnesota Infantry (1897) that is located at the Gettysburg battlefield. Some of his statues in the Minneapolis / St. Paul area include “Hiawatha carrying Minnehaha”, “Minerva”, and “Ole Bull”. In 1885 he sculpted Henrik Ibsen from life and created a number of public statues and busts from the experience. The photographer of this image is the Lee Brothers who operated a studio in Minneapolis. To view more photographs by this photographer, click on the category “Photographer: Lee Bros.”

 

Published in: on January 8, 2015 at 3:27 pm  Comments (1)  
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A HANDSOME GROOM WEDS A PENSIVE BRIDE IN ALBERT LEA, MINNESOTA

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This cabinet card features a well dressed handsome groom and his pretty pensive bride. The bride and groom are bedecked with flowers and are wearing white gloves and serious expressions. The reverse of the cabinet card has a penciled inscription stating “Mrs. Torborg Halvorsen”. This creates some interesting speculation considering that the photographers name is also Halvorsen. Is this the photographers wedding photo? Is the bride or groom in this image a child of the photographer? Preliminary research failed to answer these questions. However, it was learned that there was a photographer named J. R. Halvorsen who operated in Albert Lea, Minnesota between 1886 and 1887.  He is certainly the photographer of this image but the exact identity of the subjects in this portrait remain unknown. It is important to note that Halvorsen, a Norwegian name,  was not an uncommon name in Minnesota. Minnesota had many residents of Norwegian origin or roots from Norway.

Published in: on December 20, 2014 at 6:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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A PORTRAIT OF A BOY AND A CHAIR BY MISS LIBBY IN NORWAY, MAINE (NOTED FEMALE PHOTOGRAPHER)

MISS LIBBY_0007A young boy dressed in a double breasted jacket and wearing a tie poses for this portrait by Miss Libby of Norway, Maine.  Minnie Libby (1863-1947) had a sixty year business career in Norway, Maine. She was a very able photographer and also an eccentric. She was the daughter of a Maine born blacksmith who was also a carriage maker and dealer. The 1880 census lists her at age sixteen as being an artist. She was sent to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and developed an interest in photography. She worked as a studio photo retoucher while living in Boston. In 1882 she worked as a photo retoucher at the Anthony Crockett Picture Studio in Norway. In 1885 her father constructed a building to house her first studio. By the 1890’s Miss Libby was quite successful. In 1905 her father helped her buy a new studio which caused some controversy in the town of  Norway. The seller of the building neglected to tell his tenant, a photographer, that the building was sold. The tenant photographer took ads out in the local paper denouncing the underhanded business practices of Miss Libby who ultimately occupied the building. Miss Libby’s response to the ads was to take out her own ads in which she said that she would use the advertising space to talk about her business, and not to make misleading statements about her competitors. In 1940, Life Magazine discovered Miss Libby. They did a feature on her life as a photographer, both past and present. Minnie Libby also produced oil paintings while working as a photographer. She was a talented artist and did many paintings of plants and flowers as well as landscapes. The Life Magazine article describes Miss Libby’s appearance. She most often wore knickers, men’s shirts, and a flowing bow tie. She was also described as a “first class photographer”. To view other photographs by Miss Libby, click on the category “Photographer: Libby”.

Published in: on December 19, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (1)  
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FAMILY PORTRAIT IN GREAT FALLS, MONTANA

A family of four poses for their portrait at the Elite Studio in Great Falls, Montana. Everyone is dressed in their nicest clothes for their day at the photographic studio. Note how the older daughter is posed. Her love for her dad is quite evident. Father’s pride in his family is also evident in this photograph. This family has the appearance of a Scandinavian family and in fact, the photograph is from the estate of a Norwegian immigrant family that settled in North Dakota and Montana. It is not clear who operated the Elite Studio at the time of this photograph. The Bulletin of Photography (1916) reported that “Louis Heyn of the Elite Studio sold an interest in his business” to employee Harry J. Keeley. It is likely that the studio belonged to Heyn at the time of this photograph.

Published in: on April 11, 2011 at 12:01 am  Comments (1)  
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PLAIDS, RUFFLES, AND BOWS: FOUR VERY CUTE KIDS

This photographic portrait captures four very cute kids dressed in adorable clothing. Plaids, ruffles and bows abound. The image is crystal clear. The photographer is O. E. Flaten who at the time of the photograph, had studios in Moorehead and Halstad, Minnesota; as well as in Gardner, North Dakota. Research reveals that Ole E. Flaten (1854 or 1865- 1933) was born in Vanders, Norway and emigrated to the United States. He operated studios in Northfield, Moorehead, and Halstad, Minnesota. He worked as a photographer from the 1870’s through the 1920’s, retiring in 1930. Click on the category of “Photographer: Flaten” to see another photograph from his studio.


Published in: on June 22, 2010 at 12:08 am  Leave a Comment  
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A WOMAN AND HER DOG IN JANESVILLE, MINNESOTA

This cabinet card photograph captures a woman and her dog posing in the studio of A. S. Hellebo in Janesville, Minnesota. The woman is wearing a fur hat and fur “scarf”. She is wearing gloves and holding a pocket book. The dog looks like a labrador retriever and appears quite comfortable as it sits on a fancy chair. The photographer, Hellebro emigrated to Minnesota from Norway and some of his photographs can be found in a collection of historical photos at the Minnesota Historical Society.

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