Almira Richardson, 1860s, photo by S. Anderson, New Orleans, Louisiana

This is a CDV photo of a little girl with the name Almira M. Richardson written on back.  It was taken by S. Anderson of New Orleans.  It is about 2 1/4 by 4 inches, has square corners,  the mount is very thin and it has thin borders, all of which date it to the 1860s.

What makes this interesting to me is that there is an orange two cent  internal revenue tax stamp on back. This were issued by the federal government and were required to be placed on back of CDVs (among other things, I assume) from August 1, 1864 to August 1 1866.

Of course the early to mid 1860s was a time of civil war in the United States, and Louisiana was one of the confederate states.  My assumption is that this tax stamp dates it from sometime between April 1865 (the official end of the civil war) and August 1866.  New Orleans was occupied during part of the civil war period, so it's possible the stamp could have been placed on earlier.

Photograph of a Wedding Party, circa 1920s-30s, probably German

This is a photograph of a wedding party, taken outside.  I counted 39 people in all.  It's a large photo, just over 7 inches tall and almost 10 inches wide.

There is no photographer's information or any other writing to give a clue as to where this is or who these people are. So we examined it closely and drew our own conclusions.

First there is its physical appearance - thin photographic paper mounted on thin cardboard.  We saw no silvering on the photo, but that's not hard and fast proof that it's an albumen as opposed to a gelatin silver print.  The overall physical look is of a photo produced in the earlier part of the 20th century - certainly before WWII.

Second, and most obvious, are the clothing & hair styles, especially for the younger women. From the bridal gown to the children sitting in front, it screams 1920s-30s fashions.

And third - the only clue we could find as to where this might be - there is a young man in a military uniform  in the row behind the bride, about to the left. We believe that is a German uniform.

So, this photo was probably taken somewhere in Germany, in the late 1920s to early 1930s.

If we're right, those people's lives were in for a massive amount of upheaval in the relatively near future.   By now, everyone in this photo is dead. They lived their life, dealt with whatever their times threw at them, accomplished whatever it was they accomplished, and by the 1980s or 1990s, most, if not all of them had died.  It is possible some of the children are still living, but they'd be very old - in their 90s, most likely.

CDV - Man With A Rifle or Perhaps a Shotgun

 

This is an interesting CDV photo of a man with a rifle or a shotgun.  This is probably from the 1870s-1880s, and it appears to have been taken outside, in a non-studio setting, which was unusual for portraits.

 

I can't tell what kind of weapon he has - I really, really want to say its a shotgun, but I just don't know. He's holding something in his right hand which could be shotgun shells, but it could be something else.   He's dressed in what may be a rather snazzy hunting clothes, with plaid pants bloused into shiny boots, and a derby type hat.

 

The has been trimmed, so it is a little smaller than the standard CDV size.  There is no photographer information or other writing, so there is no indication of who this or where this picture was made.  I'm pretty confident of the time frame though.



CDV Photo of a Man in Cowboy-ish Garb, Waukegan, Illinois, circa 1870s.

 

I suppose I can file this in the CDVs I don't see every day category.  This fellow is decked out in his hat, long coat, a bolo tie (sort of), with his pant legs stuffed into his boots - pretty much the way they were worn back then.  And the boots appear to have what we would call today a "western heel", which was pretty good for stirrups and such.

 

It is super neat!  And that is about the best thing I can say about it.

 

There is a name on back, written in some kind of green substance (crayon?  don't think it's ink), and it is almost impossible for me to be sure.  We think it is A. C. Dier.  But it could be Duir, or any of a number of other names.  We're just guessing.

 

The photographer is R. W. Hook of Waukegan, Illinois.   

I really like this one, and I'm tempted to keep it, but for now it's for sale in the shop - www.leopatti1910.com  (search for "cdv photo man cowboy hat" and you should find it. 

Cabinet Photo of a Young Woman with Long Hair and Bare Arms

 

This is a cabinet photo (a little more than 4 x 6 inches, including the mounting) of woman wearing a dark short sleeved dress.  It was taken by F. B. Merker of Belleville, Illinois.  There is no other identifying information.

 

My best guess is that this is from the 1880s or 1890s, and it was unusual for a woman (or a man for that matter) to display bare arms in a formal portrait.   Also, I originally thought that was a boa draped over her shoulder, but it isn't - it's her hair, probably in a long pony tail.  Most women her age, in that era, would not have worn their hair down.

 

Maybe she was an actress (you know how they are).  Maybe she was ahead of her time stylistically. 

Or maybe it was a fad, or maybe it was well within the moral conventions of the time, or perhaps it was the latest and greatest from the fashion houses of Paris.  I honestly have no idea.

 

Unique photos are hard to find.  If it were easy to find them, they would not be unique.  I suppose every photo is unique in some way, in fact I know they are,  but some are more unique than others.  This woman's bare arms and long hair draped over her shoulder sets this photo apart.

 

(Old joke:  how do you find a unique photo?  You neek up on it.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Mysterious Antique Photo of a Young Woman

I don't really know what to say about this photo - it's just something I find visually interesting.  

It's not large - just over 5 inches tall and 4 inches wide, and there is no writing or photographer information on it.

The clothing and the mounting date this to the early 20th century, but I can't really say how early.  I assume, because it's mounted on cardboard with gold trim, that it was taken by a professional photographer.    Amateur snapshots started showing up in the early 20th century, but I think this is more professional than that.

Everything about this photo seems somewhat unique, to me. 

Starting from the top - she's wearing some kind of cap or hat that you didn't see many women wearing, at least in photos.  Most women's hats of the era were big, elaborate, flowery, feathery things.  This one is hard to make out in any detail - there is a band of cloth going around it, and I can't make out a brim or bill or anything else.  It looks almost like a pillbox hat.

She's wearing a tie, and what looks like a white vest - quite masculine - with hands either in her dress or jacket pockets.  My wife would be able to tell you what kind of sleeves those are on the jacket, but I don't dare even conjecture.  She's wearing a long ankle length dress, and I cannot make out her shoes in any kind of detail.  I suspicion they are lace up boots, but that's but I have no way to prove it.  She's probably wearing a corset, but who knows.  Her hair appears short, and she's looking slightly away from the camera.  The background is a plain wall, no chairs, plants, statues, pedestals or props of any kind.  That, all by itself, is interesting.

I don't know if anyone else sees what I see in this photo or not.  To me, the whole thing pretty mysterious.   A young woman was photographed 100 to 110 years ago, and that's about all I can  say about it with any kind of certainty.

She's young, late teens or early 20s.  Is she dressed stylishly for the time, or did she just get off the boat from some eastern European country?  I don't know.   

A Hand Colored CDV of a Little Boy - 1860s

The thing that makes this CDV interesting is that parts of it are colored.  I'm pretty sure this was done by hand and it would have had to have been a painstaking process.  The obvious colorized object is the crimson table cloth.  Not so obvious is a very slight pinkish tint on the little boy's cheeks, the gold colored buttons on his shirt and the yellows and greens in the carpet.

I think (but am not positive) that the suit he is wearing is two piece, but the shirt and pants have the same checkered design.  His shoes have what look like metal tips on them, leading us to believe that his parents may have been doing well for themselves. 

This CDV is from the 1860s - we can tell by it's trim & weight (it is relatively thin) and to a lesser extent the clothing style.  There is no tax stamp on it, so it is either before 1864 or after 1865.  Not much to go on, but at least we know when it isn't, if you can follow the logic and grammar.  There is no photographer information or writing or any kind on this photo.    And it does have come condition issues - the corners have been trimmed, and there are some spots of something near the bottom.  But it's in the neighborhood of 150 years old, so we can make allowances I guess

Cabinet Photo Old Man With Elaborate Shawl, Grangeville, Idaho, 1890s

 

Sometimes I think we need an assistant to do nothing but figure out what things like this are.   I expect someone like that might wish to be paid, so that rules out that possibility. 

 

Obviously, the interesting thing in this cabinet photo is the shawl (or is it a vest?), but I want to mention something else first.  Photographer info is listed as Hanson Photo, Grangeville, Idaho.  The fact this is from Idaho makes it somewhat unique, at least in my experience.  The vast majority of cabinet photos we have come from the north east & midwest USA.   We have very few from southern states (states that are south of the Ohio River), and very few from areas west of Iowa and Missouri.  Even California cabinet photos seem relatively rare.  This is the very first card we have from Idaho, and it's an interesting one.

 

What is interesting about it, of course, is the shawl/vest this old fellow is wearing.  We can't figure out what it is.  It's draped around the neck (not really over the shoulders), and I don't know if extends down the man's back, or if it's just around his neck.   Obviously we don't know what it's actual colors are.  It has flower designs, and also cross key designs, which I can't help but think has some significance.   I think there are three of the cross keys - one on each side of the shawl, and I believe one near the bottom which may (or may not) be holding the two sides together.  There is something between the two sides of the shawl, right above the larger cross keys.  Also, there is a medal or something hanging from underneath the shawl, which may have some significance, or may just be part of a pocket watch.  I cannot make out any details on it.  The shawl is fringed, with the two fringes on the ends hanging down lower.

 

We first thought this may be a religious garment, specifically Jewish, and we don't know that it isn't, but if it is, we couldn't find anything else like it. 

 

Our next thought was that it was some kind of masonic (or masonic like) ceremonial garment, but again, we can't find anything to prove that.

 

What we do know, isn't much.  We know that the picture was taken in Grangeville, Idaho, most likely in the 1890s.  He's an old man, wearing a shawl with flower and key designs.  It was taken by Hanson Photo.  That's about it.

 

If anyone can enlighten us about this, we'd appreciate it!

 

Update: Sold!

CDV Photo Reverend Maxwell Wright, Edinburgh Scotland, 1860s

 

This is a CDV photo of a man with some good sized mutton chops.  He's sitting in a fancy chair, is well dressed, holding a pair of gloves and has a top hat on the table next to him.  It is possible he's wearing a cleric's collar, but I can't really tell. 

 

His name is written on back as "Rev'd Maxwell Wright".  I'm making a couple of assumptions here; I assume that "Rev'd" is an abbreviation for Reverend.  Also the hand writing is not the best, so it is possible I have the name wrong, but I believe Maxwell Wright is what it is.  Since I'm assuming he's a Reverend, it follows that he might be wearing a cleric's collar.  I'm not a 100% sure.

 

The photographer's name is J. Moffat, and his address was 103 Princes Street, Edinburg Scotland.  John Moffat was born in 1819 in Aberdeen and died in Edinburgh in 1894.  You can find out a ton of information about the photographer at the following site:  www.edinphoto.org.uk  

 

This is a clean, sharp photo, and it is almost certainly from the 1860s.

 

CDV of an older woman wearing a large hoop dress and whilte mantilla, taken by Robert Slingsby

This is a CDV of an older woman wearing a large hoop dress and an white mantilla.

I learn a lot about fashion from old pictures - to me, man that I am, she's wearing a veil.  To my better half, woman that she is, she's wearing a mantilla.  A mantilla is covers the neck and shoulders, while a veil covers the head and face.  I believe that's the difference. 

Either way, the elaborate dress and the head covering make this an interesting photo. 

The backstamp lists the photographer as R. Slingsby of Lincoln (U.K.).  There is a blurb indicating he was patronized by the Prince of Wales, and reproductions of awards he received in 1868 and 1869.  Robert Slingsby was a well known photographer of the time, active between 1859 and the 1890s. 

I found the follwing information on http://dating-au.com/slingsby-robert-d-1895/ :

"Slingsby's more important contribution to photog­raphy was his work on the development of flash light for photography. As early as 1869 he had a photograph reproduced in the Illustrated London News that had been produced using artificial light and between 1890 and 1891 he was granted four patents relating to the use of magnesium for flash photography one of which related to a shutter that could be synchronised to the discharge of magnesium."

So Robert Slingsby was a bit more than the run of the mill 19th century portrait photographer.  He died in 1895.

Snapshot - 7 children, boys, girls, baseball gloves and a cat

I may be the only person on earth who thinks this is a cool picture.  It could be that I'm inventing the quirkiness about it.  

This is a snapshot, I'd say late 1950s or very early 1960s.  There are no dates, names, or writing of any kind.   Also no stamps or indication (that I could see) of the kind of photo paper used.  But based on the clothing, that is what I think.

Front row left, there is a boy in a white t-shirt, blue jeans with the cuffs rolled up (just like the cowboys wore them), most likely wearing black high top converse all-star tennis shoes and a baseball glove.  He is kneeling and looking very serious in a classic little league team picture type pose.  He's the only one kneeling, and is obviously out of sync with the rest of the group.

In contrast to his seriouness, the boy behind him has place his baseball glove on top of his head.  And the boy next to him is holding a cat.  The girls are just standing there and smiling, more or less like normal people.  Some of those girls have to be sisters.

It is a very typical picture in a sense.  Some grown up made them all get together to have their picture snapped.  But in another sense, it's a little odd.  Unlike many, many of these type of amature snapshots,  personalities were captured.  Accidently, I'm sure, but captured just the same.

Cabinet Photo of a Woman Reflected in a Mirror - 1890s

I like this photo for 3 reasons.   First, we're pretty sure this is from the 1890s, and you don't see very many women with bare arms in he 1890s.  Second, her profile is reflected in a mirror, and that is pretty neat.  I've seen this before, but I'm pretty sure it's the only one I have.  And 3rd, she has a very low cut neck line, in a era when most women had collars that went up to their chin.

In fact, she's showing a lot of skin at a time when usually all you saw skin wise of a woman (or a man, for that matter), was their hands and face. 

I have another photo of this woman in the same dress, same necklace and everything, but in a more traditional pose. 

The photo was taken by Garrison Bros. of Fort Dodge, Iowa.  The Garrison brothers were Charles F. and Fred, and they had a studio in Fort Dodge in the 1890s - at least until 1896.  So this photo is 116-120 years old, give or take.

I have no information on the woman, it would be interesting to know who she is and how she came to have such a photograph made. 

UPDATE:  Sold!

A House on Austin Avenue, Barrington, NJ - early 20th Century Photograph

This stark photo is obviously a picture of a house.  What's interesting about it is that the exact address of the house is written on back, and that's unusual, at least for me.  I can tell that it had at least two fire places (very likely more), probably did not have electricity, telephone, or indoor plumbing.  There are other houses in the area, but none seem to be close by and there are no trees, so I suspect it is a fairly new construction.  It could be that it wasn't complete when this picture was taken, but I don't see any evidence of construction going on. 

I used google earth to try to look a the exact location (give or take), and none of the houses looked anything like this.  Austin Avenue today is still a residential area, with modest houses & large trees all fairly close together.  It seems to also be very close to an interstate highway.   I'm pretty sure the building in this photo no longer exists and has been long forgotten.

We've listed several pictures on eBay related to Oliver Phillips & his wife's family (the Hackners) and the house on Austin Avenue in Barrington was referenced several times.  And it was referenced in such away that could lead a person to believe that it was not the family's primary address, but I don't know for sure.

Update:  Sold!

Photograph of a Man with a very large Dog

This is an antique photo of a man with a very large dog, I think a Great Dane.    It was photographed by Renshaw, of 2718 Girard Ave in Philadelphia.  Writing on the back indicates the man is named Louis Haeckner, and that he was born in Germany.

We've listed a lot of photos of the Hackner's (sometimes spelled Haeckner) recently.  Margaret Hackner, who I suppose was a daughter, married Oliver Phillips, and we have a lot of photos of that side of the family.

This is an early 20th century Gelatin Silver photograph, and there is heavy silvering on the photo, so heavy that if you tilt it slightly one way or another, the silvering is all you can see.  Tilt it slightly toward you and you see a sharp photograph.   I don't know the exact date of the photo, but it is probably 100 years old or close to it.

It is an unusual studio photo - a man with a huge dog in his lap - and the type that many people find interesting.   At least I do. 

Update:  Sold!

Another Update - the dog may be a Presa Canario, not sure.

Little Girl Holding a Parasol

This is an 1880-90s era cabinet photo of a little girl holding a parasol, perhaps an umbrella.  I looked to see what the difference was & I gather that all parasols are umbrellas, but not all umbrellas are parasols.  A parasol, as its name implies, was used to shade a person from the sun.  It was not water proof.  Although I don't know for sure what she is holding, I think it is a parasol.

This is a studio photo, made to look like an outdoor setting.  It could be a beach setting, but there's something that looks like a big tree behind her, so I don't know.  And I love her expression.

I like this photo because of the girl's expression & the props in it.  The photographers were Wardlaw & Learnen of Rochester, NY.

Update:  Sold!

The Bullens Family of Massachusetts.

This is part of the Bullens family, late of Boston & Newton, Massachusetts., and sometimes of Buffalo & Rochester, New York.

We've listed 9 old photographs (CDVs, Cabinets & other Antique photos) of various members of this family.  I have 3 pictures of Mary Bullens, spanning at least 20 years.  There are pictures of Mary Bullens as a child, as a young woman dated1881, and another dated 1891.  We also listed a picture of Charlotte Bullens as a young woman (undated), a cabinet photo of Kingsley Bullens as a baby, and one of a very debonair Albert Bullens, undated, but we know is 1896 or later because of the photographer information.

We also listed a photo of the Bullens family lot at Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Mass. - it has steps leading up to it with the "Bullens" family name.

Oh the whole, this seems to be a family of some means, probably not in league with the Vanderbilts, but significantly better off than most.

The picture above has some handwritten information on back:  O. L. Bullens, Rochester, NY, Oct 26, '83.  So if the date is correct, this photo is 128 years old.   I believe, but no way can I prove, that the younger woman sitting in front is Mary Bullens, and I think the woman in the very back is Charlotte Bullens.  I cannot be sure about that.   I have no idea which one is "O.L. Bullens",  and I don't see anyone I can identify as Albert.

128 years ago a group of family members gathered out on some rear steps of a house and had their picture taken.  Mary (or whoever) moved, her face is slightly blurred.  Judging by the everyone is wearing, it was quite a formal society.   I believe Charlotte was buried in the family area at Mt. Auburn Cemetery in 1933, meaning she lived about 50 years after this picture was taken.

Anyway, we've listed 9 pretty nice photos of this family in our store, all ID'd & most dated.

Dec 17th:  After staring at the back of the picture for awhile, I've realized that "O.L. Bullens" may really be "C. L. Bullens", which would indicate Charlotte.  Handwriting can be tricky sometimes.

Update:  Sold!

Tintype Men & Women, Umbrellas, Cigars, Canes, Hats & a bag

This is a tintype photo of two women & two men, though in reality I'm pretty sure no tin is involved.  But it is a photograph printed on a piece of metal.  Tintypes and similar photographic processes were very popular from the 1850s till near the end of the 19th century.  There is a lot to know about tintypes - plate sizes for one thing.  The size of this one I think makes it a 1/6th plate, which I suppose means a full plate is 6 times as large. But 1/6th & 1/16th size seem to be the most common sizes of tintypes.  I'm no expert, don't quote me on anything.

I like this picture, it has a ton of detail.  Everybody's dressed kind of formally - perhaps a 19th century Sunday afternoon at the boardwalk.  Both men are wearing the same kind of hat, the one on the left has a cigar in his had, the one on the right appears to be resting his hand on top of a cane.   The women are wearing very long dresses, large hats with feathers/flowers, both are holding umbrellas (for the sun, not the rain), and there appears to be a bag of some kind of the floor next to the woman on the left.

   

My opinion is that this was not a planned photograph, where they made an appointment and so on.  I think they just walked in, and it was taken and developed in a hurry.  The backdrop of the photographer's studio is hung kind of carelessly, and everybody looks a little slanted.  I don't think the photographer took a lot of time with this photograph.   I've cropped the picture a bit, the actual tintype has uneven edges and is rounded on the top corners - it looks like it was trimmed hastily.  I think these people were just out for some late 19th century fun in the sun and ducked into a little studio to have their picture made.  It's pretty cool.

I have this listed in the eBay store, you can find it here, if you wish.  At least for awhile.

Update:  Sold!

Snapshot of a Mom and Little Boy, with Rifle.

This is the reason I like snapshots - you just never know when you're going to run across something like this.   Just a typical suburban scene in America, a mom with her rifle toting diaper clad little boy.  Though I'm not positive, I believe this photo is 1960s or so.

I'm sure it's a toy rifle, and I'm sure everything about the photo is innocent.   But still, it's an interesting change of scene from most snapshots, which consist of people standing somewhere looking like they wished they were somewhere else.

Its a small photo, about 3 x 4 inches.  The resolution on it is not great either, in fact it's within an inch of being out of focus. This was far from being a professional photograph.

If you wish to look a the eBay listing, go here. 

Antique Photo Factory Workshop Man & Woman Workers Barrels Boxes Early 1900s

This is an antique photo of two people, a man & woman, in some kind of workshop.   No one wrote anything on this picture to identify the people or its age - we believe it is very early 20th century.  It is mounted on a larger cardboard backing & is a little faded.

There is some sort of light above the table, but I'm not convinced that it is electric.  The items on the floor near a table and a barrel look like nuts & bolts to me, but it could be anything.  It has an ornate, probably tin, ceiling.

I've gone over this picture with a magnifying glass looking for anything like tools or advertising I could identify.  Some of the items on the shelves have writing, but I could not read it.

I like pictures like this because of all the details in it - details no one gave a thought about.  This one is full of wooden barrels, boxes, shelves with cans on them, stuff piled on the floor, and on and on.  I have no idea what kind of work went on there, but it captures a fraction of a second of two people's lives.  Two people who are long gone, but who look quite healthy here.

Update:  Sold!

An Antique Photo of a Young Woman with Wire Rim Glasses

There's probably no real reason I should like this photo, but for some reason I'm drawn to it.  I think it's the expression, more than anything. Her head is slightly tilted, and she has a "get this over with and let me get out of here" kind of look.  She's dressed nicely, lots of bows and lace, with a very high collar.  She's also wearing wire rimmed glasses, which is interesting.  She could have taken them off and no one, especially now, would know the difference.  I'm glad she didn't, because for me it adds another element to the photo.  It makes her seem more human.  I've always found this photo intriguing, wondering what was on her mind.

There is no date information on the photo, but I'm pretty sure it's in the 1890-1910 time frame.   She looks to be in her early 20's, which would mean she was born somewhere between the late 1860s to late 1880s, give or take.  If she were born in the later end of that spectrum, she could have lived well into the 2nd half of the 20th century.  She would have lived to an age where her grandchildren and great-grandchildren (perhaps even her children) would have trouble believing she was ever young, strong, in good health & dressed stylishly.   

The photographer's name was Ingalls, and he worked at Knowlton's Studio in Farmington Maine.