This cabinet card features a portrait of the Shepard Family Concert Company. In this photograph, mother is playing the piano (or organ) and the five children and their father are playing violins. The photographer of this cabinet card is unknown, as is the location of the studio. A photograph of the Shepard family and their instruments appears in The Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont (located in Middlebury, Vermont). In addition, the museum possesses a “cigar ribbon quilt” serving as a piano cover. The quilt is made from silken advertising ribbons which cigar companies used to tie cigars together for packaging purposes. This particular quilt was made by Mary Emily Shepard (“Minnie”), the matriarch of the Shepard Family. The Shepard Family was Massachusetts based, and mostly toured upper New England. The musical group venues included the Town Hall Theatre, in Middlebury, Vermont. Family Musical Troupes were popular in the 1880′s and 1890′s. Mr. and Mrs. J. M. Shepard and their children, Kittie, Laura, Lessie, Georgie, and Burtin were regionally well known and appreciated in the late nineteenth century. Each family member were multi instrumentalists. The family could perform as a choral group, a brass band, or a violin ensemble with the mother playing the pump reed organ. In addition, sometimes, the children would perform as a banjo quintet.
THE SHEPARD FAMILY CONCERT COMPANY
UNIFORMED MAN WITH A LANTERN (OCCUPATIONAL CABINET CARD)
This cabinet card is a staged portrait of a man at work. The man is wearing a uniform and most likely he is a railroad worker. He may be an engineer or possibly a conductor. He is holding a brass lantern and writing on a pad. The man’s facial expression seems to say that he means business. One can easily imagine seeing him standing next to a train at a railroad station taking notes. The photographer of this cabinet card is Lyman & Wells, of Columbus, Ohio.
YOUNG FIREMAN IN CROOKSTON, MINNESOTA
A young uniformed fire fighter poses for his portrait at the studio of P. E. Lynne, in Crookston, Minnesota. The fireman is wearing the insignia of his fire department on his cap and on his shirt. “CFD” likely is an abbreviation for the Crookston Fire Department. The fireman’s badge shows an eagle and a fire wagon.
EIGHT ATHLETIC LOOKING BLOKES IN SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
This cabinet card is a portrait of eight very athletic looking men. The men are dressed very similarly. Their pants appear to be identical and they each are wearing a wide white belt around their waists. The image presents a number of questions. Are these Aussie blokes wearing a uniform? Are they members of a sports team? Are they wearing work clothing and all share the same occupation? Hopefully some Cabinet Card Gallery visitors will leave a comment that gives their opinion as to the answers to the aforementioned questions. The photographer of this image is Herbst of Sydney, Australia. He is mentioned in a number of Sydney newspapers published in the 1890′s. Advertisements for his studio appear in the newspapers, and there is mention of some of the notables he photographed.
TWO HOTEL MAIDS IN CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE
This occupational cabinet card features two women posing with supplies of their trade. The women are likely hotel maids, or house servants. One maid is holding a broom, while the other is holding a glass and what appears to be, a clean towel. The photographer of this image is F. A. Dow of Concord, New Hampshire.
WOODSMAN IN CLAUSTHAL, GERMANY
This occupational cabinet card features what appears to be a Woodsman and his axe. He is holding a metal tool in his left hand. Hopefully, a visitor to this site can identify the name and purpose of this particular tool. The mysterious object actually looks like an animal trap. Note the ladder in the background and the cut wood in front of him. He appears to be sitting on an overturned wheelbarrow. The photographer of this image is Friedrich Zirkler, of Clausthal, Germany. Clausthal is a town in Lower Saxony in the Harz Mountains. The area was known for its mining activity at the time of the photograph.
TURN OF THE CENTURY CARPENTER AND PAINTER IN WARREN, MASSACHUSETTS
This occupational cabinet card features two men dressed in work garb. The man on the left appears to be a painter and he is equipped with his paint pail and brush. His stained overalls show that he is a veteran painter. Note the large clean brush in his shirt pocket. The gentleman on the right seems to be a carpenter. He is holding a saw and rule which he is resting on a sawhorse. He is wearing an apron and both men have caps to keep their hair clean. The photographer is Penfield and the location of the studio is Warren, Massachusetts. Daniel Edward Penfield (1842-1914) was born in Meriden, Connecticut and died in Warren, Mass.
CLERGYMAN IN LUDLOW, VERMONT
A clergyman is featured in this cabinet card portrait from a photographer named Moore in Ludlow, Vermont. The man has an educated appearance emanating from his beard and pince-nez spectacles.Pince-nez are a style of spectacles that was popular in the nineteenth century. These glasses were not supported by ear pieces but instead, stayed on the wearer by pinching on the bridge of his or her nose. The clergyman is wearing a pin near his collar and part of the chain from his pocket watch is visible at the bottom of the image. The Photographic Journal of America (1890) mentions photographer, C. A. Moore of Ludlow, Vermont. He is likely the same Moore that created this image.
TWO SALVATION ARMY LADIES IN NEW YORK CITY
Two young women in Salvation Army uniforms, pose for their portrait at the Carter Art Studio, in New York City, New York. Note that one woman is wearing Salvation Army pins on both collars and that both women are wearing Salvation Army badges at their collar. The woman appear to be in their twenties, and one wonders what motivated them to join the Salvation Army. Did they have religious convictions that drew them to the organization? Were they hoping to help people or change the world in a positive way? Did they see joining the Salvation Army as a way to be able to live in exciting New York City. Unfortunately, the answers to these questions are lost to history. To see a collection of images of other Salvation Army workers;click on the Cabinet Card Gallery’s category “Salvation Army”.
FIREMAN IN RED BUD, ILLINOIS
A uniformed fireman poses for his portrait at an unidentified photographic studio. He is a dashing young man and he appears to proudly wear the buckle which identifies him as one of Red Bud’s “bravest”. The town of Red Bud is located in Illinois. To see other images of firemen, click on Cabinet Card Gallery’s category of “Firemen and Policemen”.
