CDV of 1873 Gentleman with double-gilt border lines
This 1873 image of a blue-eyed young gentleman is just one of several I have from the early 1870s that have the double-gilt border line which most people think indicates an 1860s image. True, the vast majority of pictures with this type of card-stock date from that decade, but not all of them — some hold-outs (or were they just slow businesses with leftover stock?) continued to use these in the early 1870s. The tie style is more typical of the 1870s, and the size of the vignette definitely places this in the late 1860s to early 1870s as well. Oh yes, and for you eBay sellers: the Civil War was April 1861 to April 1865 — not all 1860s (let alone the many 1870s, 1880s images described as ‘Civil War Era’) date from the Civil War. And those tax stamps? They were required August 1864 through August 1866 — so many authentic ones are actually post-Civil War, and some dealers have stuck old stamps on images as late as the 1890s to trick uninformed purchasers.
Portrait of four children from December 1851
This photograph shows four children, probably siblings, carefully posed by the photographer on and around a couple wooden chairs — the younger boy kneeling on a kitchen chair, and the youngest girl seated in a high-chair. Despite the photographer’s best efforts, the expressions on the children are of suspicion and confusion. The older girl has one hand draped around the forearm of the younger boy, while the older boy holds one of the little girls hands — both quite awkwardly. The children neither understand nor approve of these arrangements, but Momma is probably off to one side, urging them to behave, so they try their best.
I don’t know who the photographer was, or exactly where this was taken, but I have noted that it was taken in December of 1851. It is a fine daguerreotype from just a dozen years after the introduction of photography to the public, so there was still a lot of experimenting going on to find pleasing poses. This photographer didn’t bother with any props beyond the chairs needed to raise the younger children to the heights of their standing siblings. This image provides a good view of children’s clothing from the early 1850s.
Naiche, Chief of the Chiricahua Apache 1898
This is a photograph of Naiche (ca 1856 – 1919), son of Chochise, in his U.S. Military uniform, wearing medals he was awarded. The crossed arrows with letters USS on his hat were part of the Indian Scout uniform from 1890 until 1907.
This photo was taken in 1898 by Adolph F Muhr (ca 1858 – 1913) and published by F A Rinehart. Muhr took up photography in the late 1870s in Hoboken New Jersey, and moved to Denver in the early 1880s. He married Cora about 1885, and they moved to Omaha, perhaps about 1898, to work with Frank Rinehart (see below). Sometime between 1900 and 1910 Adolph and Cora moved to Seattle, Washington.
Frank A Rinehart (1861-1928) was an artist and photographer, well known for his Native American portraits. He operated out of Denver ca 1879-1881, then joined the staff of William Henry Jackson there. In 1885 he married the receptionist at the Jackson studio – Anna Ransom Johnson, and they moved to Omaha Nebraska, where Rinehart opened his own studio, remaining there until his death in 1928.
In 1898 Rinehart was commissioned to photograph the Native Americans attending the Indian Congress held in conjunction with the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition in Omaha. Rinehart hired Adolph Muhr as his assistant.
