ACTRESS ELSIE JANIS : CHAUFFEUR DRIVEN MOTORCYCLE : SIDECAR : NYC : PRESS PHOTO

This unique vintage Press Photo features actress, Elsie Janis, riding in a sidecar of a chauffeur driven motorcycle. Note the details of the motorcycle that are visible in this photograph. One can see the cycles horn, headlight, side lamp, rear view mirror, license plate and other parts of the motorcycle. It appears that the photograph was taken in New York City for the Society of Cinematography. The name of the organization is written on the reverse of the photograph. There are also ink stamps on the verso from Brown Brothers, the world’s first stock photo agency. Elsie Janis (1889-1956) was a popular American film and stage actress. She also was a singer, songwriter, screenwriter, and radio announcer. During World War I, Elsie was nicknamed, “the sweetheart of the AEF”. The abbreviation “AEF” stands for “The American Expeditionary Force”.  SOLD

Published in: on September 7, 2024 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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“WHAT’S MY LINE?”: OCCUPATIONAL CABINET CARD PORTRAIT OF TWO MEN IN GORMANIA, WEST VIRGINIA

This cabinet card features two men dressed for work and holding some sort of tool or scraper. They appear to be wearing leather work aprons. This is a wonderful example of an occupational cabinet card but unfortunately, it is not clear what these men’s occupation happens to be. It has been suggested that the men may be textile workers. The photographer of this image is John Randolph Schaeffer. He seems to have forgotten that this studio photograph was supposed to depict an outside scene. That is unless it is common to see curtains hanging in the outdoors in Gormania, West Virginia. Schaeffer was born on a Gormania farm in 1858. His family was of German heritage. After finishing school at age twenty, he entered the teaching profession. He pursued his education career for seventeen years; during his last year (1909) he was a principal of a school. During his education career he earned a Masters Degree in Didactics and also did photography. He entered the business of photography after leaving teaching. His studio not only was a  photographic gallery, but it also sold photo supplies, jewelry, and other commodities. He was also appointed by President Woodrow Wilson to the position of postmaster for two terms. In his spare time he supported the Democratic party and was a member of Odd Fellows. He married Susie C. Miller in 1894 and the couple had seven children. The Library of Congress lists Schaeffer as holding at least two copyrights. He also published a view book entitled From Baltimore to Charleston (1906). The book was cited by one reviewer as containing “magnificent scenery” photographs. The town of Gormania has had a number of names. Its present name honors a US Senator from Maryland , Arthur Gorman. One of the towns previous names was Schaefferville, named after early settler Jacob Schaeffer (father of photographer John Schaeffer). Jacob Schaeffer and one of his sons owned and operated the town’s first tannery. The business was sold in 1889. We know a lot about the photographer of this portrait but still don’t have any idea of the occupation of the two subjects in the photograph. Lets play “What’s My Line?”. Hopefully, some cabinet card gallery visitors will leave comments with their hypotheses about the type of work the men in this portrait did. My uninformed guess is that the subjects in this photograph are tannery workers.

Published in: on August 24, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (9)  
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