This cabinet card appears to feature a Reading wedding couple. The couple is well dressed and the bride is wearing a feathered hat instead of a veil which lends some doubt to the wedding theory. The woman is wearing and holding flowers. Note her thin waist and his large hands. The photographer is John D. Strunk who operated in Reading, Pennsylvania. To view other photographs by Strunk, click on the category “Photographer: Strunk”.
The subject of this photograph is a darling little girl with sausage curls under a fancy hat. She is seen faking a walk in a faux park. The little girl is holding a parasol. The photographer of this image is John D. Strunk of Reading, Pennsylvania. To view other photographs by Strunk and to learn more about him, click on the category “Photographer: Strunk”.
The previous owner of this cabinet card described the subjects in the photographs as “thugs”, ”ne’er do wells”, and “arrogant”. We will never know if these are fitting descriptions but that is one of the reasons that collecting and viewing cabinet cards is such an interesting and fun activity. Interpreting these photographs require a knowledge of history, detective work, and psychological awareness. In addition, our interpretations of the photographs are also influenced by our own personalities, experiences, and projections. This particular photograph certainly shows three guys with attitude. They dressed nicely for their portrait. The seated man looks like a tough guy and the expression of the gentleman behind his right shoulder seems to communicate that he is ready for a confrontation. The photographer of this cabinet card is W. C. Bell.
An adorable little girl with sausage curls, a fancy dress and a little parasol poses for her portrait at the Strunk studio in Reading, Pennsylvania. She has a very serious expression but looks very sweet. To view other photographs by photographer John D Strunk and to learn more about him, click on the category “Photographer: Strunk”.
A pretty young woman with her hair up, wears a scarf and necklace as she poses for her portrait at the Chillman studio in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. To learn more about P. E. Chillman and to view a collection of his photographs, click on the category “Photographer: Chillman”.
A young woman is featured in this cabinet card that appears to be a memorial photograph. The image has a musical theme. Note the pictured string instrument and the scrolled sheet music. Perhaps the young woman pictured in the frame was a musician. The photographic studio responsible for this interesting image is the C. S. Roshon studio which was located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The cabinet card gallery has another Roshon photograph in its collection). This second photograph is one of the more controversial images in the gallery’s collection because it very well may be a counterfeit cabinet card. The image features a Native American man with a turkey vulture on his head. Click on the category “Photographer: Roshon” to view this photograph.
A pretty young woman poses for the photographer at the studio of J. S. Fritz in Reading, Pennsylvania. To learn more about the photographer and to view more of his images, click on the category “Photographer: Fritz JS”.
This portrait features a mother and her daughter posing at the Bretney studio in Lehighton, Pennsylvania. There appears to be some sort of emotional situation occurring during the taking of this photograph. The mother in the image seems none too pleased, while her daughter appears to be consoling her. The reverse of the photograph indicates the daughter’s name is Molly. It appears that Molly has to be strong for her mother, as her mother has suffered some sort of a loss. The History of Carbon County, Pennsylvania (1912) reports that Clement H. Bretney was the leading photographer of Lehighton. He was born in Mahoning, Pennsylvania in 1873. After leaving public school he studied art as a private pupil of H. Parker Rolfe of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Next he studied at Curtis-Taylor Studio in Philadelphia. He then worked with W. D. Rishel, a Lehighton photographer. Bretney bought Rishel’s studio in 1899. It is also reported that Bretney was a “dealer in Kodaks” and carried a large stock of photographic supplies. Langdon’s list of 19th and early 20th century photographers asserts that Bretney operated his studio until 1905.
An adorable little girl poses for her portrait at the studio of J. S. Fritz in Reading, Pennsylvania. Something is drastically wrong with this picture. The yellow ribbon is supposed to be tied around the old oak tree, not the girl’s waist and arms. Pardon my anachronism. The child in this photograph was likely told not to smile and she complied with the request. However, she is displaying an “all knowing” look. She is well dressed and wearing earrings and a cross. Note the unusual burgundy color of this cabinet card. To learn more about photographer John S. Fritz, click on the category “Photographer: Fritz (JS)”.
Elvin E. Schartel, a photographer from Lebanon, Pennsylvania, produced this image of an intense looking young woman standing at a gate. She is wearing a necklace with a locket. Schartel is listed in the 1889 Lebanon business directory as a photographer.
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