I purchased this tintype on eBay. The label on the reverse names the young women (counterclockwise) as “Sadie Sildrael, Julie Catlin, and Mattie Catlin,” and it notes that Mattie had a “crippled hand.” The names are also written directly on the tintype but that writing was impossible to capture in photos and scans. In this … More She Bore The Burdens
This is a cabinet card photograph, identified on the back as “Mabel F. Greene, 5 years old, 1883.” The photographer was W.C. Foote of Flint, Michigan. I was attracted to the image because I’m a knitter, and the little girl is wearing knitted mittens. I imagined the mother, a grandmother, or maybe an aunt, knitting … More She Wore Mittens
This dandy cabinet card was discovered in Goshen, Indiana. The sitter screamed, “Take me home! I’m bold and interesting!” William Francis Hostetler, born in La Paz, Indiana in 1870, was a hustler, in a good way. He was an enterprising person, determined to succeed, a real go-getter. Which is why I was surprised to find … More The Hustler
This cabinet card has so much going for it! From the lovely studio backdrop to the girl’s big-eyed, faraway stare, to the awkward pose made to show off her dress bustle (and wow, what a bustle!) Bustles reached extreme proportions in the mid-1880s. The back of the card is just as interesting. The artwork offers … More Cloudy Days Good As Sunshine
“Aunt Margret Newkirk” is written on the back of this cabinet card that was found in Auburn, Indiana. The sitter is Margaret (nee Warwick). The inscription leads me to believe this photo belonged to Maud Kelley, a foster daughter, who lived in the Newkirk home for some years, and who fondly referred to the sitter … More Nevertheless, She Persisted
I acquired this beautiful photograph on Etsy, although, I prefer to find photos in shops or at estate sales. However, I was so taken by this image that after watching it languish for over a month, I finally rescued it on my birthday last year. It is a Boudoir card, which is larger than a … More We hear thee and forget our care
I came across this cabinet card and having no photographer’s location, combined with the common surname of Hicks, I wasn’t sure I would be able to identify the sitter. However, I thought the middle name of Albin was unique enough to tip the odds in my favor and I brought the photo home. A quick … More To Them She Gave Her Best
I recently found this photo among a slew of others in an antique shop in Indiana. It is a carte de visite, often referred to as a CDV. It is a photographic print that is mounted on a stiff card, and the term describes the size of the photo, which is about 2 ½” x … More The Music Teacher
the rescued photo 