A beautifully dressed and pretty woman poses for her portrait at the Tonkin studio. She is wearing gloves and a most interesting hat and a long necklace. She is holding a small black object in her hand. Perhaps a visitor to this site can identify this object. My guess is that its some kind of small wallet. The 1900 US census finds a Herbert Tonkin (age 32) living in San Francisco with his wife Mary (age 30) and working as a photographer. Herbert Tonkin was an immigrant to the US and was born in Wales. To view other photographs by this photographer, click on the category “Photographer: Tonkin”.
PRETTY WOMAN IN SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
CELEBRATED ACTRESS ADA REHAN AND HER LABORADOR RETRIEVER (PAGE INCLUDES ADDITIONAL PORTRAITS OF MISS REHAN)
PHOTOGRAPH 1 (SOLD)
PHOTOGRAPH 2
PHOTOGRAPH 3Ada Rehan was a well known and respected American actress. The top cabinet card portrait of Ms Rehan and her dog was published by Napoleon Sarony, a famous celebrity photographer in New York City, New York. Ada Rehan was born in Ireland and came to the United States at six years of age. She grew up in Brooklyn, New York. She began acting as a child. From 1873 until 1875 she became more active in acting at Mrs. Drew’s Theatre in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She then joined John Albaugh’s company and appeared in Baltimore, Albany and numerous other cities. In 1879 she joined Augustin Daly’s company upon his opening of his New York theater. She worked with his company for twenty years and appeared throughout Europe. The IBDB reveals that Ada Rehan appeared in 12 Broadway productions. Some of the Broadway and non Broadway plays she appeared in include a number of Shakespeare productions such as “As You Like It” and “Twelfth Night”. Rehan also acted in “The School for Scandal”, “Foresters”, “Cinderella at School”, and “Our English Friend”. She retired from the stage in 1906 and lived in New York City until her death. It is interesting to note that Ms Rehan’s dog is on a leash. The leash is made of metal links. She is holding the leash with both hands. This is the first leash that I have observed in the many cabinet card photographs of dogs that I have seen. The dog at the end of the leash in this image appears to be a laborador retriever. (SOLD)
The second portrait of Miss Rehan was published by Newsboy of New York. The image was number 68 in a series of photographs. Newsboy distributed these images as premiums for their tobacco product sales.
The third image of Miss Rehan is a bust portrait by Louis Thors of San Francisco, California. Thors was born in Holland in 1845. He was of French descent and educated in France. He was fitted for service in the Merchant Marine and he served in that capacity for a number of years before coming to California in 1876. By 1880 he had established his photography business. One source states that his studio had more than twelve “apartments”. He won a Bronze Medal at the Paris Exposition in 1889. His wife, Gertrude M. Thors was also a photographer. Camera Craft: Photographic Association of California (1910) printed Thors’s obituary. He was described as one of the highest esteemed photographers in San Francisco. He died of stomach cancer at age seventy-two. He worked in the photography business in San Francisco for over forty years. He left the city after the San Francisco fire and worked in St. Louis for two years before returning to California. The obituary reports that after his immigration to the United States, his skill as a painter earned him employment with photographers Bradley and Rulofsen (click on category “Photographer: Bradley and Rulofsen” to view some of their photographs). In addition, the death notice asserted that besides his talents as a photographer, Thors had a charming personality and high moral character. To view other photographs by Thors, click on the category “Photographer: Thors”.
CUTE LITTLE GIRL STANDING ON A CHAIR IN SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
This cabinet card features an adorable little girl standing on a chair in front of an unusual backdrop. She is wearing a lace bib, a necklace and a wonderful hat. The photographers name is not quite legible. His last name appears to be “Vitaliny”. His studio was located at 233 Montgomery Avenue in San Francisco, California. No biographical information about the photographer could be located. The photographic card has gold beveled edges and is larger than the standard cabinet card. This photographic is 8.5″ x 6.25″. It can best be desribed as a “Boudoir Card”. An article on types of cabinet cards asserts that boudoir cards are usually 8.5″ x 5.5″.
ACTRESS MARY ANDERSON: BEAUTIFUL STAR OF THE AMERICAN AND ENGLISH STAGE
Cabinet Card 1 (SOLD)
These cabinet cards feature American stage actress, Mary Anderson (1859-1940). Interestingly, Anderson’s father was an Oxford educated New Yorker who after Mary was born, moved his family to Kentucky. He then joined the Confederate army and was killed in action when Mary was just three years old. Mary was not much of a student but loved to read Shakespeare. Her step father sent her to New York at age 14 to take ten professional acting lessons. In 1875, at age 16, Mary Anderson began her stage acting career in a Kentucky production of Romeo and Juliet. She continued acting in Kentucky and then appeared in a number of other cities, including New York. Her critical reviews tended to be mixed but she was well loved by the public. She then worked the New York and touring company stages for twelve years until she spent the next six years on the English stage (appearing in a lot of Shakespeare productions). She then returned to the United States, and at age 30, collapsed on stage with a case of nervous exhaustion. This experience, likely coupled with less than favorable reviews, caused her to retire from acting.
Cabinet Card 1 features Anderson in the role of Galatea. A review of Mary Anderson’s performance in this role appeared in the New York Times in a September 1884 edition. She was appearing opposite British actor William Terriss, in the play “Pygmalion and Galatea”, at the Lyceum Theatre in London. Many notables were in attendance, including Oscar Wilde. The review states ” Miss Anderson surpassed herself and that the performance was throughly artistic and finished”. The cabinet card was photographed by The Vanderweyde Light of London, England (182 Regent Street W.). Henry Van Der Weyde (1838-1924) was an artist and photographer. In 1877, he became the first photographer to install and take photographs by electric light. (SOLD)
The second cabinet card was photographed by celebrity photographer, Sarony. The image reflects Mary Anderson’s great beauty. To view other photographs by Sarony, click on Cabinet Card Gallery’s category “Photographer: Sarony”.
The third cabinet card was photographed by “The Sparks Studio”. The studio was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the artist/manager was Elliott Houseworth. This cabinet card offers a profile portrait of the attractive Ms. Anderson. The 1880 census lists Elliott A. Houseworth as being born in 1855, residing in San Francisco, California, and working as a photographer. Houseworth also appears in the 1900 census as living in Norwood, Pennsylvania and working as a manager. These demographics fit the photographer of this image, since Houseworth managed Sparks Photography Studio and Norwood is only about eleven miles from Philadelphia. To view other photographs of actresses by Sparks, click on the category “Photographer: Sparks Photo Publishing Co.”.
The fourth cabinet card features a smartly dressed Mary Anderson and was photographed by George Rockwood, of New York City. To learn more about Rockwood and to view more of his photographs, click on the category “Photographer: Rockwood”. A sticker on the reverse of the photograph indicates that the image was once part of the Kean Archives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Kean Archives was a company that served as a source of illustrations and photographs for various modes of media. They eventually were purchased by Getty Images.
DISTINGUISHED GENTLEMAN IN SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
This cabinet card is a portrait of a nicely dressed older gentleman with a bushy mustache. The gentleman appears quite distinguished and may have been part of the elite of San Francisco. The Rieman and Tuttle Studio produced this cabinet card. George B. Rieman and William Nutting Tuttle (1844-1895) became partners in 1879. The first three letters of Mr Tuttle’s middle name seems to have described his personality. He appears to have been a vagabond photographer; working in a number of studios and having multiple business partners in the years proceeding his venture with Rieman. In 1880, Tuttle left his family in Oakland and sailed to Australia to start anew. Tuttle’s wife, Belle, went to Australia to try to convince her husband to return to California. Her efforts were fruitless. Although Tuttle’s photography studios were very successful and he prospered in Australia, he didn’t support his family back in the United States. He stayed abroad until his death in 1895. The Cabinet Card Gallery has some photographs related to this image. To see other terrific mustaches, click on the category “Mustaches (Only the Best). To view other photographs by Rieman, and to learn more about his life, click on the category “Photographer: Rieman”.
SHE’S BEAUTIFUL, EDUCATED AND POPULAR: YOUNG WOMAN HAS IT ALL IN SAN FRANCISCO
This cabinet card features a very pretty young woman posing for her portrait as a remembrance of an accomplishment, possibly a graduation. She is holding a rolled up paper that may be a diploma. She is surrounded by baskets of flowers. These floral tributes are from a number of admirers; she apparently was quite popular. The young woman is wearing a medal which may indicate that she excelled in some areas of her education. This woman has it all; beauty, brains, and popularity. The photographer who produced this image is Rieman whose studio was located in San Francisco, California. To view other photographs by Rieman, click on Cabinet Card Gallery’s category “Photographer: Rieman”.
FASHION STATEMENT IN SAN FRANCISCO: STYLISH WOMAN AND HER BEAUTIFUL DRESS
This cabinet card is an image of a middle aged woman posing for her studio portrait. She is wearing a beautiful dress. The woman is probably quite wealthy to be able to afford to dress in such fine fashion. She is also well adorned in jewelry. Note her three strand necklace, her earrings, and her large ring. The photographer of this image is the studio of Edouart & Cobb, located at No. 504 Kearny Street, in San Francisco, California. To view other photographs by these photographers, and to learn some of their background information, click on cabinet card gallery’s category “Photographer: Edouart & Cobb.
“A JOLLY GOOD FELLOW” POSES FOR HIS PORTRAIT IN SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA (PHOTOGRAPH BY TABER)
A jolly looking man poses for a portrait at the studio of Isaiah West Taber (1830-1912), in San Francisco, California. The happy gentleman has a wonderful mustache and earns the right to join other men with remarkable mustaches in the Cabinet Card Gallery’s category “Mustaches (Only the Best)”. Taber was a well known daguerreotypist, ambrotypist and photographer who photographed many California notables. Taber was also a sketch artist and a dentist. He was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Between 1845 and 1849, he worked on a whaling ship. He moved to California in 1850 and returned to the east, four years later. Upon his return, he opened a photography studio in Syracuse, New York. In 1864, he returned to California where he worked in the studio of Bradley and Rulofson until 1873. To view images by Bradley and Rulofson, click on the category, “Photographer: Bradley & Rulofson”. In 1871, Tabor opened his own studio and became famous for reproducing the photographs of well known California photographer, Carleton Watkins. Watkin’s business had gone bankrupt, and Taber reproduced his work without giving Watkins any credit. In 1880, Taber took a six week photographic trip to Hawaii. During part of that trip, he fulfilled his commission to photograph King Kalakaua. By 1890, Taber had expanded his operation to include studios in London and other parts of Europe. However, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, put him out of business. The natural disaster destroyed Taber’s studio, gallery and negatives.
WOMAN WEARING MASSIVE FUR COLLAR IN SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
A young woman poses for her photograph at Cobb’s Dore Gallery in San Francisco, California. The woman appears to have a live animal wrapped around her neck, but instead, she’s actually wearing a very intense fur collar. If she was living in modern day San Francisco, she would be a likely target for a lecture, or a paint job, from a PETA member. David Cobb was the proprietor of the Dore Gallery (1881-1889) at the time this photograph was produced. Prior to operating the Dore Gallery, he was a partner in the Edouart & Cobb studio, which was also located in San Francisco. To see other images by Cobb, click on the category “Photographer: Edouart & Cobb”.
BOTTLE CURLS IN SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
These two cabinet cards have some things in common. Each photograph features an attractive woman with bottle curls. In addition, each image was photographed by George Daniels Morse, whose studio was located in San Francisco, California. Note that these photographs were taken at different times; which is evident by the fact that the two portraits list the studio location at different addresses. To learn about Morse, and view other photographs by Morse, click on Cabinet Card Gallery’s category “Photographer: Morse”.
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 