This photograph features an exhibit from America’s first wax museum. Note how real the wax bride and groom appear in this exhibit. The groom is sitting in a decorative chair and wearing a pocket watch and corsage. The bride is wearing a wedding band, flowers, and a bridal veil. Her dark wedding dress is beaded and intricately ornate. This wedding couple looks so real. In fact, they are real. They just look waxen. No offense is meant toward this couple. They are probably posing the way they photographer had instructed them. The photographic process was not generous to their appearance. Writing this description caused me to wonder when wax museums came into existence. Research quickly revealed that the first wax museum originated some time in the early 18th century. However, the creation and use of wax figures for ceremonies occurred many years before that. This cabinet card presents a mystery that I was unable to resolve despite spending quite a bit of time on the endeavor. The mystery involves identifying the photographer of this image. I have copied his studio stamp that was on the reverse of this cabinet card and it can be seen above. Any attempt by the Cabinet Card Gallery’s vast unpaid research department (the gallery’s visitors) to discover the photographers identity would be appreciated. I did not find the name of the photographer to be legible. It also didn’t help that no town, city, or state was listed. For those up to the challenge, good luck in your search.
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 