Michael Lehr Antiques
Live Auction

March 2026 Unreserved Photo Auction — Curiosities, Performers & Vernacular Photography

Sat, Mar 28, 2026 01:00PM EDT
  2026-03-28 13:00:00 2026-03-28 13:00:00 America/New_York Michael Lehr Michael Lehr : March 2026 Unreserved Photo Auction — Curiosities, Performers & Vernacular Photography https://auction.michaellehrantiques.com/auctions/michael-lehr-antiques/march-2026-unreserved-photo-auction-curiosities-performers-vernacular-photography-22648
Our March 2026 auction presents a wide selection of historical photographs, postcards, entertainment memorabilia, and visual curiosities spanning the mid-nineteenth through twentieth centuries. Every lot is offered completely without reserve, ensuring that each item sells to the highest bidder regardless of price. Combined purchases totaling $500 or more qualify for free shipping, providing collectors an added incentive to bid across multiple lots. The unreserved format creates opportunities for both new and experienced collectors to acquire unusual and historically interesting material.
Michael Lehr Antiques info@michaellehrantiques.com
Lot 210

All-Female Surgical Team Preparing Amputation, c.1900

Estimate: $50 - $400
Starting Bid
$10

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $10
$200 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$20,000 $2,000

This striking and uncommon photograph depicts an all-female surgical team assembled in a clinical operating room, likely within a teaching hospital or nursing school setting. Five women dressed in white surgical gowns and head coverings surround a patient positioned on an operating table, the exposed leg elevated and supported. One practitioner appears to steady the limb while another holds a surgical mallet, suggesting the preparation stage of a major procedure, likely an amputation. Surgical instruments—forceps, clamps, and trays—are carefully arranged within reach, reinforcing the clinical precision of the scene.

 

The composition reflects a transitional moment in medical history when women were increasingly entering professionalized roles in nursing and surgery. The coordinated activity and confident handling of instruments indicate formal training rather than a staged novelty image, making it a compelling document of early female medical practitioners at work.

 

Based on attire, equipment, and photographic quality, the image likely dates to circa 1900–1915. Overall condition is good, with light surface wear and minor tonal softness consistent with age.

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Spend $500 or more at our auction and all of your SHIPPING IS FREE, buyers to pay insurance if they want it.