Historic and vintage portraits

[Don Dudenbostel]

There’s a historic portrait post in the LF section and think it would be interesting to do a smaller format version.

I believe in an old saying “even a blind pig finds an acorn once in a while”. It certainly has applied to me as I’ve had my share of acorns.

I’ve been a photo collector since the mid 60’s when no one paid much attention to photography other than the pictures in the family album. Vintage photos were plentiful and cheap. It was common to walk into an antique store and find stacks of prints, cabinet cards and CDV’s for 50 cents to a dollar. Tintypes, Ambrotypes and Daguerre types were a few dollars up and at the most $5-35 depending on whether there were loose or in a case.

About 25-30 years ago my wife, who’s a painter, and I made the rounds looking for reference images for a series of paintings sh was working on. She found a Victorian album full of cabinet cards for nearly nothing a bought it. As we were leaving the owner said he had some older images and took us to another display case. In it was a tintype of a man in a military uniform and several other uninteresting images. I asked the price snd he said $75 but I didn’t buy it and started home. On the way home I got thinking civil war soldier in uniform, that’s valuable so I went back and bought it.

Not knowing who it was I went to the book stores civil war section and on the cover of one of the books was that image. The person was General George Armstrong Custer shot by Mathew Brady in 1865.

To my eye, having a good knowledge of wet plate, it appears authentic but I had it authenticated by an expert and it in fact is an original.

Please excuse the snapshot. I have it in a shadow box on the wall in my home and didn’t want to remove it.

So post your family portraits or “acorns”, historic images, that you’ve found over the years.

[Don Dudenbostel]

My second great find is a small tintype found in an antique shop about thirty years ago. Again I don’t think it was more than $35 but caught my eye because it was a group of Native Americans. I researched the image years ago but had no luck as to the tribe until recently. Recently I decided to start researching again after a couple of days I found the exact image in the Smithsonian. I contacted the Smithsonian for information on who some of the people are and I’m awaiting a reply. I did however find out that it was made by by Charles Milton Bell in his Washington DC studio in either 1875 or 1880. From other information I’m guessing 1875.

I was able to ID 2 people in the tintype. The second person from the left is Lakota Chief Sitting Bull and in the center is another Sioux chief Spotted Tail. There’s a person not totally visible under the mask that might be Sitting Bulls nephew One Bull but I’m not sure.

The paper mask has been torn in the back to reveal the other figure but the paper is stuck to the back of the place so I’m not disturbing that. Also it appears the white mask was trimmed at one time and there is Victorian script on it but nothing complete that I can read.

Again a quick phone snap.

[Tin Can]

Thank you

[Don Dudenbostel]

Thank you

Hopefully others will post some interesting images.

[Tin Can]

Elmer, Great Grandfather

Perhaps pre Norway emigration, many forced out of Norway

He went back to Norway after wearing out his first wife

for another wife, who bore my father

not nice people

11-Elmer by TIN CAN COLLEGE, on Flickr

[Don Dudenbostel]

Unfortunately I have only a handful of photos from my dads side. I have a whole plate tintype of my great grandfather and a photo of my grandfather in 1899 in his graduation cap and gown from pharmacy school. And my grandfather was an avid photographer but none of his images seem to have survived.

My dad carried on the photo hobby and I have a lot of scenics he shot in WWII in Europe but no family. My mothers side who were dirt poor had a camera and used it. I have a box full of family photos from her side. No idea who they are but know they were family.

I’ll just post images at the moment that I’ve acquired over the years.

This one is an actual photographic print post card of the worlds smallest couple.

[pigpen]

I have collected old photos/plates/tins/slides for a while as a small hobby. I don't have anything historical as yours. My family gave me the collection of old family pics since I'm the only one in the family w/ a scanner. I called this one "19th century daycare". This is a shot from 1898 in Ligonier PA and most people in it have the same last name. It's my family members harvesting sorghum. I gave it this title because of all the kids in the shot, the youngest being the blurry kid in the highchair, he was my grandfather.
I can tell it was a big deal to have their picture taken as all the women showed up in their Sunday hats and dress.

[Don Dudenbostel]

No idea who the people are. Would the uniforms be US Cavalry? From information I’ve found I’d guess the period is in the 1870’s.

[Eugen Mezei]

I have it in a shadow box on the wall in my home and didn’t want to remove it.

What is a shadow box?
I understand the word, I just have never seen such a thing. How does it look?

[cowanw]

A shadow box is a picture frame that has some added depth to the space between the glass and the back. It is often used to accommodate the thickness of three dimensional objects of some size. Cased images like daguerreotypes and tintype/ambrotypes can be protected in such frames.