Portraits from the first 100 years of photography
This photograph was taken in Watertown, New York, a few miles from Lake Ontario and only 31 miles from the Canadian border. The name of the studio at the bottom of the cabinet card looks like "Gray," but I have yet to find a record of a photographer there by that name. I don't know... Continue Reading →
The title of this post is a little presumptuous, but the elegant dress worn by the young woman in this portrait reminds me of snowflakes on a deep winter's night in New England. She's also wearing an engagement ring, but the focus isn't clear enough to see it in detail. Northampton is home to Smith... Continue Reading →
This cabinet card portrait came from the same antique photo dealer in Arkansas that the ladies in boater hats did in the previous post. An inscription on the back says simply, "Judge Stephen Reaves." According to his obituary and other articles published at the time of his death, Stephen Reaves (1816-1905) practiced law in... Continue Reading →
The photograph above came from Latvia, which was part of the Russian Empire until November 1918. The photo was probably taken in the early 1900s. The men are most likely Latvian, but it's hard to say for sure. If only we could hear them play....The following postcard also came from Riga, the capital. Latvia was... Continue Reading →
This cabinet card was made by Benjamin F. Popkins (1822-1905), the first photographer to set up a professional studio in Greenfield. The sitters aren't identified. The photo was accompanied by two additional cabinet cards by Popkins, showing one of the women from different angles. All three portraits may have belonged to her, or the three... Continue Reading →
This ethereal CDV portrait was made by A. Brossut of Digoin, Bourgogne (Burgundy). The young woman isn't identified. I found a few references online to "A. Brossut, éditeur," but no other information about the photographer.
An inscription in pencil on the back of this carte-de-visite says simply: "Dr. Sanford 1883." She was easy to identify, and her individual story is fascinating and inspiring. I also learned that Dr. Sanford's life and career were closely connected to those of other pioneering women in medicine and in other fields who supported and... Continue Reading →
To continue the cooking theme of the previous post, this postcard from Germany is an unusual portrait of a young cook in her kitchen uniform. Taken in a studio against a rustic painted backdrop, her spotless white clothes glow under careful studio lighting. Like CDVs in the nineteenth century, individual postcard portraits were often exchanged... Continue Reading →
This CDV (carte-de-visite) came from an antique shop in Massachusetts. CDVs began to decline in popularity in the 1870s with the advent of larger cabinet cards, but the format remained in use until about 1900. The albumen print process was used initially for both formats.
Informal early photos of musicians are surprisingly rare. On the other hand, musical instruments have often appeared in formal portraits. The postcard below was made some years after the photo above.
When war broke out with Spain in 1898, the United States had a very small professional military. As a result, many of the units which eventually sailed to Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines were made up of volunteers. They first assembled at camps in different parts of the country for training and other preparations. ... Continue Reading →
Tokens of Companionship 
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