The Wicker Chair

Well, it's not one wicker chair, it's a number of different wicker chairs used as photo props for cabinet cards. Wicker like this was very popular from the 1860s until the turn of the century. By then, tastes had changed, and wicker like this was considered too ornate.

The first one was photographed by Engelbrecht in Towanda, Pennsylvania. 

The second one by Cobb in Binghamton, New York. with a nearly identical chair. Although the chair is interesting, it has a very dominant presence.

This woman's hair appears to have curled to match the wicker chair,which is of the same design as the chairs in the first two photos. The lady was photographed at Colburn's Gallery on 367 Broad Street in Waverly, New York.

 This young fellow  with the big bow was photographed by Stephens in Ithaca, New York.

These two children were also photographed with a settee, but with a very different design than the one in the previous photo. Their portrait was taken by A.J. Fisher of Towanda, Pennsylvania.

Here's a smiling child photographed by Van Buren in Ithaca, New York.

This baby may not have much hair, but the wicker curls make up for it. Photograph by G.R. Wheeler of Greene, New York.

You can hardly see the wicker chair in this last photo from Crocker in Corning, New York, but the lady sitting in it is lovely.

Automobiles and Airplanes

These are from a folder of negatives that belonged to Grace Shapley. Writing on the outside of the folder says: Negatives of Airplane trip, Aunt Bess and myself at 51 Lathrop Apt. and 13 John Street, Oquaga Lake, N.Y. , college negatives, etc. The folder also included some labelled photographs, taken in Syracuse and Binghamton, New York, as well as in Scranton, Pennsylvania. I have been able to identify some of the people in the photos, but not all of them.

Grace Shapley

 

Grace Shapley

The Faces of Susquehanna -Part Two

More portraits from Susquehanna, Pennsylvania. These are from the J.B. Kirby studio and its successor, the Frank Kirby studio. The portraits all measure about 2.5 inches by 4 inches. The father and daughter in the second photo must have had very light blue eyes; they look a little eery in black and white.

 

The photo above with the three ladies is the only one with any names written on the back: Mother Elizabeth and Henryette.

The photo of the boy above is also interesting, because another photographer's name and a different location (Scranton?) were printed on the back before they were crossed out  and replaced with Kirby and Susquehanna. Kirby must have  bought another photographer's card stock.