The Salisbury studio in Pawtucket, Rhode Island produced this cabinet card portrait of an elderly man with a long white beard. His beard is very impressive but one wonders how he ate without wearing his food. To view other interesting beards click on the category “Beards (Only The Best)”. The photographer was Arnold F. Salisbury. His name can be found in many Pawtucket city directories of the 1880’s. At one time his studio was located at 65 Mill Street. He is considered by “Classy Arts” photo history site as one of America’s most productive photographers during the Carte De Visite era (he is among over 200 photographers so designated). Salisbury’s obituary appears in the Bulletin of Photography (1918). In the brief article it is mentioned that Salisbury was a civil war veteran. Further research revealed that he was a private in the 1st Regiment Rhode Island Infantry (company E) for three months in 1861. He later served as a second sergeant in the 9th Regiment Rhode Island Infantry (Company A) and as a first lieutenant in the 12th Regiment Rhode Island Infantry (Company H).
OLDER GENTLEMAN WITH LONG WHITE BEARD IN PAWTUCKET, RHODE ISLAND
SASSY BRIDE AND HER GROOM IN CENTRAL FALLS, RHODE ISLAND
J. C. Prince’s Photo Art Studio produced this wonderful wedding portrait. The photographer was located on Broad Street in Central Falls, Rhode Island. The couple are formally dressed and accompanied by flowers galore including a garland around the neck of the pretty bride. The groom has a happy twinkle in his eyes and his new bride appears to be quite sassy. Perhaps her sassiness is related to his happiness. In fact, both the bride and the groom seem to be very content on their wedding day. Their happiness is quite different than what is usually seen in most wedding day images from this era. More typically, photographed newly weds look like they are at their best friend’s funeral.
TURN OF THE CENTURY TENNIS PLAYERS (1890)
This cabinet card features a group portrait of four woman, one man, and two children dressed for tennis and all the individual’s except the children are holding tennis rackets. According to an inscription on the reverse of the photograph, the image was produced in 1890 The photographer and the studio’s location are unknown. All the individuals in the photograph are wearing terrific hats. The gentleman in the image is wearing a bow tie. Can you imagine Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras wearing bow ties as they battled for victory in an important tennis tournament? Cabinet Cards with a tennis theme are not extremely rare. The sport of tennis was well established during the cabinet card era. In fact, a version of the game of tennis has been around for centuries. The rules of the game have not changed much since the 1890’s. The Wimbledon tournament in London, England has been played since 1877. The US Open began in 1881 and it was first played in Newport, Rhode Island.
MAN WEARING A TURBAN IN BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS (FRATERNAL ORGANIZATION MEMBER)
This cabinet card photograph features a middle aged man dressed in a fraternal robe and turban. It is unknown what fraternal organization his costume represents. To view a collection of other fraternal member photographs, click on the category, “Fraternal Group Members”. The gentleman in this photograph has a bold and thick mustache. To see other interesting mustaches, click on the category “Mustaches (Only the Best)”. The photographer of this portrait produced an exquisite image. The subject is well posed and the photograph has great clarity. The image was produced by the Hastings studio in Boston, Massachusetts. The studio had a branch in Newport, Rhode Island. George H. Hastings was born in Massachusetts in 1850. He operated a studio (Ritz & Hastings) with Ernest Ferdinand Ritz from sometime in the 1860’s until the 1880’s. He had his own studio from the 1880’s through sometime in the 1890’s. The 1880 US census finds Hastings living with his brother and mother and working as a photographic artist.
WELL-TO-DO COUPLE IN PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND
An elegantly dressed couple pose for their portrait at the Providence, Rhode Island studio of Theodore F. Chase. The gentleman in this photograph displays a common cabinet card facial expression. He looks intently serious. His wife, on the other hand, has quite the sour look on her face. She looks like there is a hundred other places she would rather be. Chase’s studio was located at 61 Westminister Street. He also operated his business from other addresses. City directories reveal that in 1883 and 1884 his studio was located at 249 1/2 Westminister. Theodore Chase was born in 1842 in Fall River, Massachusetts. He married Emma Horton in 1865 and the couple had four children.
TWO SIBLINGS AND A STEREOSCOPE IN PROVIDENCE OR OLNEYVILLE, RHODE ISLAND
This cabinet card is an image of two young siblings at play. The mischievous girl is standing on a chair and is draping a lace article over her brothers head as he looks into a stereoscope. In fact, the viewer may not be a stereoscope because only one eye piece is evident in the photograph and the image behind the viewer appear to be too small to be a stereoscopic card. Hopefully a visitor to this site can provide more confident and more accurate identification information concerning the viewer that the boy is holding. Be sure to note the wonderful clock located behind the children. The photograph is dated 1889 and was produced by William Mills & Son of Providence & Olneyville, Rhode Island. This image does not have good clarity, but the activities and objects presented in the photograph, make it worth viewing. Research revealed little about the photographer, but a photograph by this studio appeared in National Magazine (1908). The image showed a wagon full of barrels of oysters, being loaded onto a freight car that was going to take them from Providence to the west for distribution. To see other photographs by this studio, click on Cabinet Card Gallery’s category “Photographer: Mills”.
BIZARRE FACIAL HAIR IN PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND
The gentleman photographed for this cabinet card wears his beard in a most unusual style. His place in the Cabinet Card Gallery’s category of “Beards (Only the Best)” is well deserved. The photographer of this portrait is Alexander C. Brownell of Providence, Rhode Island. Brownell’s death notice appeared in a 1916 photographic magazine. The article stated that Brownell died in New York City of “hardening of the arteries” but that his health had been less than robust for the previous 30 years due to his accidentally poisoning himself thirty years earlier while experimenting with chemicals to be used for zinc etchings.
PRETTY GIRL POSES IN PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND
A very pretty girl poses for the photographer at the studio of William Mills and Son in Providence, Rhode Island. This side-view pose is reminiscent of the typical pose assumed by famed actress, Sarah Bernhardt. The subject of this photograph has a very interesting and attractive profile making this particular posing position a good choice. There is no identifying information accompanying this Cabinet Card and it is not clear whether the subject is a teenager or adult woman. To view other photographs by the Mills Studio, click on the category “Photographer: Mills”.
FIRE CHIEF OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND
This excellent image is a portrait of a fire chief in Providence, Rhode Island. He is seen in his dress uniform with a fire chief badge on his hat. His coat buttons indicate he is a fireman with the Providence Fire Department. The photographer is Y. E. Rose of Providence, Rhode Island. The studio opened in 1886 in the Conrad Building.
Sam Foss: American Poet
This Cabinet Card was found with 76 other Cabinet Card photographs in an album of members of the class of 1882 at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. It is believed that this image was taken in 1878. The subject of this photo is Sam Foss who was born in New Hampshire. After graduation from Brown he became a librarian and poet. His works include The House by the Side of the Road and The Coming American. In 1898 he became the librarian at the Somerville Public Library in Massachusetts. He wrote a poem a day for then newspapers and published five volumes of collected poetry. Until 2003, his words were on the granite wall at the Air Force Academy. He wrote “Bring me men to match my mountains, Bring me men to match my plains, Men with empires in their purpose, And new Eras in their brains” (from Coming American 1894) The photographic studio that produced this Cabinet Card is Hambly and Shoal in Providence, Rhode Island.
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