Cabinet Card c. 1900 Boy in Romper & Cap with Basket Rustic Studio Set

USD 10.49

Condition: Used

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Description

View Cabinet Card c. 1900 Boy in Romper & Cap with Basket Rustic Studio Set with current marketplace pricing, condition, product images and item details. The toddler, a boy, is dressed in a light-colored, one-piece romper or short overalls over a long-sleeved shirt, with a dark flat cap completing the ensemble. The backdrop is a constructed studio set featuring a small wooden structure with a peaked roof, resembling a doghouse or miniature shed, positioned next to a large, textured tree trunk. This vintage studio portrait, likely a cabinet card from the late 19th or early 20th century, depicts a young child standing outdoors in a rustic setting. The toddler, a boy, is dressed in a light-colored, one-piece romper or short overalls over a long-sleeved shirt, with a dark flat cap completing the ensemble. He holds a small, woven basket in his right hand, a classic studio prop meant to suggest rural innocence or a harvest theme. His slightly squinted expression and stiff posture are characteristic of the era’s long exposure times, requiring subjects to remain perfectly still. The backdrop is a constructed studio set featuring a small wooden structure with a peaked roof, resembling a doghouse or miniature shed, positioned next to a large, textured tree trunk. In the far distance, a two-story clapboard house with shuttered windows provides a sense of depth, though its painterly quality suggests it may be part of a painted studio backdrop rather than a real location. The photograph is a sepia-toned albumen or early silver gelatin print, showing the rich tonal range and fine detail prized in professional portraiture of the period. The verso bears only a single, vertically oriented studio stamp reading “1291,” a common inventory or negative number used for reordering prints. The physical state of the piece is one of significant wear, speaking to its age and journey through time. The surface exhibits pronounced silvering-out or mirroring, a form of age-related degradation where the metallic silver in the emulsion oxidizes and becomes reflective, particularly noticeable in the mid-tones and shadows. This is accompanied by a complex network of deep creases, a substantial vertical tear at the top with associated emulsion loss, and widespread surface crazing—a fine web of cracks in the emulsion layer. The paper stock itself shows advanced foxing, with mottled brown stains and yellowing, while the edges are frayed and the corners softened from handling. These cumulative artifacts—the studio staging, the stamped reference, and the pronounced material decay—collectively narrate the photograph’s life as a cherished personal object and its survival as a fragment of vernacular photographic history. Condition: Used. Category: Collectibles › Photographic Images › Photographs.