Joseph W. Gehrig “hits one out of the park” with this cabinet card portrait of a fashionable and attractive woman in Chicago, Illinois. She looks magnificent with her white fur draped around her neck and her black feather hat. The subject of this photograph is clearly a woman of means.
A pretty woman poses for her portrait at the Dunshee Studio in Philadelphia, Pennslvania. The studio was located across the street from the U. S. Mint. The subject’s dress has a very lacy collar and she is wearing an elaborate belt. Note the buttons on the side of her skirt. This arrangement of buttons is not commonly seen on dresses in cabinet card photographs. Her figure is improved by the corset that she is wearing. Print on the reverse of the photograph indicates that the image was produced in 1885. To view other photographs by Edward Sidney Dunshee, and learn more about his history, click on the category, “Photographer: Dunshee”.
According to a notation on the reverse of this photograph, the little girl featured in this cabinet card photograph is named “Miss Eva, Emma, Ella, Ferber”. Perhaps Mr. and Mrs. Ferber were very indecisive people and couldn’t pick a single name for their daughter. Possibly, the three names that made the final cut were Eva,Emma and Ella; and when the couple couldn’t come to an agreement; they decided to give their daughter all three of the names. The girl with many names, has curly locks and big brown eyes, and is quite adorable. She is sitting on a stone wall beside a statue of a small dog (pug). A search of the U. S. census may have uncovered some biographical information about Miss Ferber. The 1920 census lists a young woman named Eva E. Ferber, age 24, who lived with her parents in Cincinnati. Her father’s name was Charles and he was employed as an inspector for the Chamber of Commerce. Her mother’s name was Ella (one of the name’s assigned to Eva). The census reported that Eva was employed as a bookkeeper in a clothing store. Her parents were listed as being born in Ohio, but of German heritage. Data from other census reports indicated that Eva had an older brother named Charles and that her father had once worked as a carriage trimmer. The photographer of this image is Herman Mueller. To view other photographs by Mueller, click on the category “Photographer: Mueller”. Mueller was born in Germany in 1833. He came to the United States with his wife, Mathilda, and his daughters Maria and Alfrieda. Both of the daughters became photographers and assisted him in the gallery he established in Cincinnati. He was active there from about 1886 until at least 1905.
A wide eyed baby is photographed by F. W. Schneider, in Green Bay, Wisconsin. the baby is lying on fur and wearing a long gown. The book, “A History of Brown County, Wisconsin, Past and Present Vol. 2” (1913) reveals that Schneider was born and raised in Niederschelden, Germany. He emigrated to the United States in 1868 and settled in Green Bay in 1874. Schneider operated a photographic gallery until 1911, when his son, C. Alvin Schneider, succeeded him. “The Bulletin of Photography” (1922), noted F. W. Schneider’s death from heart disease. Schneider was 68 years old at the time of his death, and it was reported that he had operated his studio for 38 years. An interesting side note about Green Bay is that it was established in 1634 by the French as a small trading post. The town’s original name was “La Baie des Puants” (“The Stinking Bay”).
A handsome and well dressed young man poses for his portrait at the studio of Walter E. Chickering in Boston Massachusetts. The gentleman’s hair and mustache are well groomed and his mustache takes an interesting twist at it’s ends. To view other interesting mustaches, click on the category “Mustaches (Only the Best)”. The reverse of the photograph has a back mark that includes the statement, ”Walter E. Chickering, The Original Photographer, of that Name”. These words were a written swipe at photographer, Elmer Chickering, who was also based in Boston. Elmer was a highly acclaimed celebrity photographer who Walter clearly perceived as a threat to his business. To learn more about both Walter and Elmer Chickering, click on the category “Photographer: Chickering”.
Three young women pose for their graduation portrait in Paris, Kentucky. Judging their age by their appearance, the girls are likely graduating from high school or college. It is interesting to note that each girls graduation gown is slightly different from the others. It is also notable that there is no backdrop in this image; the photographer used curtains instead. Perhaps the photograph was taken outside of the photographer’s studio and he took the curtains with him to the site of the graduation. This image was produced by a photographer named Gibson. Research reveals no additional biographical information concerning Mr. Gibson.
The top cabinet card features Pauline Hall (1860-1919), one of the most popular turn of the century prima donnas. She began her career as a dancer in Cincinnati, Ohio at age 15. She joined the Alice Oats Opera Company but left to tour in plays with famed actress Mary Anderson. By 1880, she worked for well known producer Edward Everett Rice in musical productions. Early in their association, he gave her a role in “Evangeline”. Her shapely figure allowed her to take male roles as she did in “Ixion” (1885). Her greatest success came in the title role of the first American production of ”Erminie” (1886). She played in more than two dozen Broadway operettas. Her final role was in the “Gold Diggers” (1919). This photograph was taken by famed celebrity photographer, Elmer Chickering of Boston, Massachusetts. Other photographs by Chickering can be seen by clicking on Cabinet Card Gallery’s category of “Photographer: Chickering”. The second cabinet card, photographed by B. J. Falk, of New York City, captures Pauline Hall in stage costume. The photograph is #305 in a series from Newsboy. The tobacco company (Newsboy) gave away cabinet cards as a premium with the purchase of their products. This cabinet card shows a copyright date in the 1890′s. The exact date has become illegible over time. To view other Newsboy or Falk cabinet cards, click on the categories “Photographer: Falk” or “Photographer: Newsboy”. The third cabinet card portrait was also photographed by Falk. Ms. Hall looks quite beautiful in this image. She is wearing earrings and an interesting hat. The photograph is a bit risque. Much of her neck and shoulders are exposed. In addition, her dress accentuates and reveals significant cleavage. Is the material at the base of her scoop neckline part of her dress; or was it added in order to make the photograph less provocative? Perhaps a visitor to the cabinet card gallery will be able to provide an explanation.
A pretty woman poses for her cabinet card portrait in New York City, New York. The photographer is the Edsall studio which was locaed at 246 and 248 West 125th Street. The previous owner of this image described the woman in this photograph as having the appearance of a Greek Goddess. Having spent little time hanging out with Greek Goddesses, I can not attest to the validity of the previous owner’s description; but I share his impression. Research indicates that the likely photographer of this image is Frank B. Edsall. It appears that he operated a photography studio in Goshen, New York and later opened a photographic gallery in New York City. He is mentioned in articles appearing in Anthony’s Photographic Bulletin (1888) and Wilson Photographic Magazine (1891).
This cabinet card features Marie Wainwright (1853-1923), an American stage actress and singer. She also appeared in three silent films between 1918 and 1920. Most of her fame came from the Victorian stage. She was born in Philadelphia and as educated in Paris, France. She received her acting training in Paris. Her first stage appearance was in New York in “Romeo and Juliette (1877)”. Her career flourished afterward. She spent many years in the Boston Museum company and later on, operated her own theatre company. During her career, she was the leading lady for Edwin Booth, Lawrence Barrett, and other well known actors. She appeared primarily in classics and high dramas until the turn of the century. She then appeared in more contemporary productions. Her resume includes roles in “H. M. S. Pinafore” and “Diplomacy”. When asked why she entered the acting profession, in a New York Times interview (1878), she stated that she did it for her children’s sake. Wainwright claimed that she was married before the age of fifteen, and had three kids before she turned twenty-one years of age. She stated that her husband was not supporting her and the children, and she needed to work for financial reasons. It appears that the breakup of Wainwright’s marriage was a hot news item. The marital conflict was quite dramatic and there were some questions about Ms. Wainwright’s character. This photographic portrait was by Sarony’s New York City studio. Sarony was a famous celebrity photographer and other examples of his work can be seen by clicking on the category labelled “Photographer: Sarony”. This image shows Wainwright wearing a white gown and bonnet. She is holding a book and rosary beads.
A young couple poses for their portrait at the studio of photographer, H. Larson, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The gentleman has long hair and glasses. He has a scholarly appearance. The woman’s figure is improved by a corset. She appears uncomfortable, illustrated behaviorally by the position of her arms and hands on her abdomen. This couple appears emotionally separated from each other. There is no intimacy captured in this photograph. Although the couple is posed together, they do not seem to be together. Perhaps the couple is really not physically together in the studio and this image was doctored by the photographer, who added the gentleman to an existing photograph of the woman. Herman Larson was a Swedish immigrant who came to America through Sweden in the early 1900′s. In Sweden, he held a degree of Master Photographer and was knighted by the King of Sweden for his excellent work there in the late 1800′s. In 1904 he established his photography studio in downtown Minneapolis. Much of Larson’s work came from the theological, church and public schools in the area. The studio remains in business today and its web site discloses that it still possesses Larson’s panoramic circuit camera. The site also reports that Larson semi retired in the early 1950′s.To view other photographs by Larson, click on the category “Photographer: Larson”.
