A sexy, busty, and leggy, blonde Mae Branson poses for celebrity photographer, William McKenzie Morrison, in Chicago, Illinois. The photographer’s studio was located in the Haymarket Theatre Building. To learn more about this well known photographer, click on the category “Photographer: Morrison”. A stamp on the reverse of this photograph indicates that the cabinet card  was formerly owned by Culver Pictures. Culver was located in New York City, and for a fee, provided images to newspapers, films, and other forms of media. Research yielded little biographical information about stage beauty, Miss Branson. The National Police Gazette (1892) reports the bathing exploits of four actresses at Long Brauch. The article was written in poetry form and the verses included the following lines: “and in the surf she daily dips in jaunty bathing dress; That fits her like a glovelet – not an inch the more or less”. The actresses described were Minnie Seligman, Geraldine McCann, Della Fox, and Mae Branson. The site of the sexy swimming exhibition was likely Long Branch, New Jersey;  ”Long Brauch” was likely a misspelling. It appears that MTV’s reality TV show, “Jersey Shore“, is a remake; because there seems to have been plenty of provocativeness at the Jersey Shore in 1892.  Mae Branson’s name also appears in an article in a Maine newspaper,  The Lewiston Daily Sun (1893). The article appeared in the Music and Drama section. A review of the play “1492” describes Miss Branson as exhibiting “agreeable singing and artistic work” which obtained “prompt and hearty recognition”.

This photograph, by Thomas E. Perkins, features an attractive formally dressed couple. The woman is very photogenic. Her dress is very styled and detailed  Her husband appears very intense. The photographer was based in Toronto, Canada. His studio was located at 293 Younge Street. In the 1880′s Perkins employed a fledgeling photographer, William H. Gardiner. Later in his career, Gardiner became well known for his photographic work on Mackinac Island, Michigan.

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.

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).