A pretty young woman with her hair up, wears a scarf and necklace as she poses for her portrait at the Chillman studio in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. To learn more about P. E. Chillman and to view a collection of his photographs, click on the category “Photographer: Chillman”.
A young woman is featured in this cabinet card that appears to be a memorial photograph. The image has a musical theme. Note the pictured string instrument and the scrolled sheet music. Perhaps the young woman pictured in the frame was a musician. The photographic studio responsible for this interesting image is the C. S. Roshon studio which was located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The cabinet card gallery has another Roshon photograph in its collection). This second photograph is one of the more controversial images in the gallery’s collection because it very well may be a counterfeit cabinet card. The image features a Native American man with a turkey vulture on his head. Click on the category “Photographer: Roshon” to view this photograph.
A pretty young woman poses for the photographer at the studio of J. S. Fritz in Reading, Pennsylvania. To learn more about the photographer and to view more of his images, click on the category “Photographer: Fritz JS”.
An adorable little girl poses for her portrait at the studio of J. S. Fritz in Reading, Pennsylvania. Something is drastically wrong with this picture. The yellow ribbon is supposed to be tied around the old oak tree, not the girl’s waist and arms. Pardon my anachronism. The child in this photograph was likely told not to smile and she complied with the request. However, she is displaying an “all knowing” look. She is well dressed and wearing earrings and a cross. Note the unusual burgundy color of this cabinet card. To learn more about photographer John S. Fritz, click on the category “Photographer: Fritz (JS)”.
Elvin E. Schartel, a photographer from Lebanon, Pennsylvania, produced this image of an intense looking young woman standing at a gate. She is wearing a necklace with a locket. Schartel is listed in the 1889 Lebanon business directory as a photographer.
A minister, wearing his clerical robes and holding a prayer book, poses for his portrait at the A. R. Fowler studio in Meadville, Pennsylvania. The clergyman displays quite a stern appearance in this image. His congregation must have heard some fire and brimstone sermons from this cleric. To view other photographs by A. R. Fowler, and to learn more about him, click on the category “Photographer Fowler (A. R.).
What is happening in this unusual and interesting cabinet card photograph? Your guess is as good as mine. There are thirteen teenage girls in this image who seem to be celebrating something. The girl in the center of the photograph is wearing a crown or veil and is flanked by two girls pressing their hands up against each other as if to create a steeple.. Are they holding a train of a dress? The girl in the bottom row, second to the right, is also holding something, but what is it? Too many questions, and too few answers. Note the girls hairstyles, or lack of hair styles. Long and disheveled hair seems to be the fashion in this photograph. Do you think that this photograph captures a stage production? A Pajama Party? A Wedding? What is your best guess? This photograph was produced by the Bailey studio located at 86 North Third Street, in Columbia, Pennsylvania. Most likely, the photographer of this photograph is William Bailey (born about 1854). At some point in his career he operated a studio in Columbia. His father David Bailey (born about 1830) and his brother (born about 1861) were also both photographers. The 1880 census finds all three of these men living in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania which is located about 80 miles from Columbia. To view other photographs by William Bailey, click on the category “Photographer: Bailey”.
I remember the excitement that I felt shortly after purchasing this photograph. I had flipped the photograph over to the reverse side and found an inscription which identified the three subjects in the photograph. The three names were “Harry E. Hershey, Dora E. Hershey” and “Frances Mayer Hershey”. The photograph was dated “1907”. Seeing the “Hershey” name, and noting that the photograph was from a studio in Lancaster, Pennsylvania made me think that the subjects of this photograph could be quite interesting. The Hershey family is quite important in the history of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Think Hershey Chocolate! I knew that the founder of Hershey Chocolate was Milton Hershey but I thought perhaps that Harry E. Hershey may have been an integral part of the business, or in some of the family’s other enterprises. Research found no such connection between Harry or Milton. The 1880 census found Harry Elmer Hershey (1863-1911) at age 16 living with four older siblings and his parents (Jacob and Annie Hershey) in East Hempfield, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The 1900 census listed the 36 year old Harry as married to 30 year old Dora Elizabeth Mayer Hershey (1870-1924). They were newlyweds having been married just three months. Harry, Dora, and both sets of their parents were all born in Pennsylvania. Harry was listed as working as a treasurer of a hardware company. A number of business directories between 1888 and 1907 reveal that he worked in this position for many years. The 1910 United States census adds 8 year old daughter Frances Mayer Hershey (1902-1994) to the family unit. The 1920 census indicates that 17 year old Frances and her mother lived together and both were unemployed. Harry had been dead for nine years. This Hershey family portrait features a well dressed family. Harry and Dora are both smiling, and cute little five year-old Frances’s body language seems to be saying, “Hey, don’t forget about me”. The photographer is the Miesse studio in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. D. Walter Miesse (1878-1964) had a studio at 24 West King Street in Lancaster between 1894 and 1940.
A cute little girl in an adorable outfit, stands on a covered chair at the Bairstow studio in Warren, Pennsylvania. She has a very expressive face and eyes and her expression seems to connote fear or concern. The child’s name, “Ella Hall” is noted on the reverse of the photograph. There were too many Ella Hall’s in the Warren area to allow for uncovering biographical information about the Ella Hall in this photograph.The photographer, James R Bairstow was born in England in 1856, entered the United States in 1878, and was married to Mary S. Bairstow. A collection of Bairstow’s photographs are held by the Warren County Historical Society. The Bairstow studio was run by Bairstow’s son, David (1884-1968), making it a two generation business. To view other photographs by Bairstow, click on the category “Photographer: Bairstow”.
This cabinet card portrait features a handsome man with a wiry beard. His beard qualifies him to enter the cabinet card gallery’s category “Beards (Only the Best)”. Click on the category to see an interesting photographic collection of men with notable beards. This photograph was produced by the Gilbert & Bacon studio in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. To view other photographs by this studio and to learn more about the photographers, click on the category “Photographer: Gilbert & Bacon”.
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 