Three siblings, wearing their fanciest clothing, pose for their cabinet card portrait at the studio of J. W. Goetz, in West Bend, Wisonsin. These children have had happier days than the day they sat for this photograph. The oldest child appears to be doing her best to be stoic, but the youngest children look absolutely miserable.Their scowls at the photographer seem to say “let me out of here”. The online “Museum of Wisconsin Art” offers a biographical profile of John W. Goetz (1839-1912). He was born near Tiffin, Ohio and by 1860, he and his family moved to Buckwood, Wisconsin. In 1864 he married Mary Wagner of West Bend. He worked as a carpenter and in 1875 he partnered with Mr Bangs in a West Bend Photographic Studio. By 1887, he owned his own photography business located on Hickory Street in West Bend. He worked as a photographer in West Bend for over thirty years. After his wife died in 1901, he sold his business and moved to Marshfield, Wisconsin where he established a photography studio in nearby Marathon City. He died in 1912. This cabinet card portrait has excellent clarity and is in excellent condition (see scans). (SOLD)
This cabinet card portrait is likely a family portrait, judging by a strong family resemblance among a number of the individuals in the photograph. The woman sitting on the right side of the bottom row is holding an open photograph album. She is also arm in arm with the woman sitting next to her. This image is difficult to analyze in terms of the exact family constellation represented. Are these people siblings? Like many other photographs of this era, it is impossible to confidently hypothesize about the exact relationships between the subjects. The photographer of this cabinet card is Edwin Rodney Curtiss (1836-1906) and his studio was located in Madison, Wisconsin. Curtiss was born in Southington, Connecticut and married Eva A. Lingenfetler of Fonda, New York in 1859. (SOLD)
A cute little girl with curly hair poses in a studio created field of daisies for photographer Sim Mould. The studio was located in Baraboo, Wisconsin. The girl is wearing a dress wth a lace collar and has a flower pinned to the front of her dress. An inscription on the reverse of the cabinet card indicates that the child’s name is Hattie Acot. Unfortunately, no biographical information could be found about her. The photographer, Mr. Mould is mentioned in a number of photographic journals. He placed an ad for his studio in a book about Sauk County, Wisconsin (1891). The Photographic Times (1898) reports on his appointment to a lobbying committee of the Photographers Association of Wisconsin. The Encyclopedia Dubuque (1911) reveals that Sim Mould operated a photographic studio at 107 Main Street in Dubuque, Iowa. The town of Baraboo is situated on the Baraboo river. The town was settled by Abe Wood and originally called Adams. In 1852 it was renamed Baraboo. In the town’s early history it became the home of several sawmills. In the nineteenth century the town served as the headquarters of several circuses, including Ringling Brothers. Baraboo became known as “Circus City”. This cabinet card portrait is in very good condition (see scans).
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 