A very attractive and fashionable couple pose for their portrait at the Henry studio in Anvers, Belgium. The gentleman appears to be holding gloves. His top hat is visible on the table behind him. The lovely lady is wearing a beautiful dress and a fancy hat. She is also wearing white gloves and holding a bouquet of flowers. This image may be a wedding photograph. The backstamp of the cabinet card indicates that the photographer, Henry, was the winner of a photography medal at the World Exposition in 1894. Anvers, the home of Henry’s studio, was a port and financial center in northern Belgium. The city is located on the Scheldt river and was a center for the diamond industry. Anvers was also the home of the first stock exchange (1460). Anvers is the french name for Antwerp.
ATTRACTIVE AND FASHIONABLE COUPLE IN ANVERS (ANTWERP), BELGIUM
PRETTY WOMAN LACED IN ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI (CIVIL WAR HERO PHOTOGRAPHER)
The attractive woman in this cabinet card is adorned with a lace cap and lace collar. Her outfit is a bit unusual but she would look beautiful no matter what she was wearing. The photographer of this image was F. W. Guerin, and his studio was located at 627 Olive Street, St. Louis, Missouri. Guerin received a medal for his work at the World Exposition in Paris (1878) and was similarly honored at the St. Louis Worlds Fair (1904). Fitz W. Guerin (1846-1903) was an excellent photographer but he was also a hero during the American Civil War. He was a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor. Guerin was a private in Battery A, 1st Missouri Volunteer Light Artillery. His citation states that along with two of his comrades, he voluntarily took a position aboard the steamer, Cheeseman, in which he took charge of all the guns and ammunition. He took this role while the steamer was unmanageable and under heavy enemy fire. After the war he became an apprentice photographer and later had a successful career photographing the well-to-do citizens of St. Louis. Guerin took many wonderfully posed photographs of beautiful women; he seems to have had an eye for the ladies.
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 