Michael Lehr Antiques
Live Auction

June 2026 Vernacular Photo History Auction

Wed, Jun 24, 2026 11:00AM EDT
  2026-06-24 11:00:00 2026-06-24 11:00:00 America/New_York Michael Lehr Michael Lehr : June 2026 Vernacular Photo History Auction https://auction.michaellehrantiques.com/auctions/michael-lehr-antiques/june-2026-vernacular-photo-history-auction-23574
Our June 2026 auction presents a focused and exceptional selection of historical photographs spanning the 1840s through the early twentieth century, with unusual depth in named subjects, rare formats, and documented provenance anchored by strong vernacular material that rewards close looking.
Michael Lehr Antiques info@michaellehrantiques.com
Lot 303

Aluminum Photo Frame, Five Portrait Ovals, Unidentified Group

Estimate: $100 - $200
Starting Bid
$50

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $5
$100 $10
$200 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $250
$5,000 $5,000
$10,000 $1,000
$20,000 $2,000
$50,000 $5,000
Five oval bust portraits of unidentified adults are set into a die-cut scallop-edged aluminum novelty frame of oval form, produced circa 1900 to 1915, with two pierced hanging holes at the top and an embossed foliate and fan design between the portrait openings. The reverse is plain card. No inscriptions or photographer's imprints are visible on either side.

The top oval shows a mustachioed man wearing a silk top hat and holding a walking cane, dressed in a dark suit with a striped cravat; the lower oval shows a smiling woman in a large decorative hat trimmed with a rose and ribbon, wearing a pearl necklace. The two flanking center ovals each contain a couple shown in bust-length: at left, a mustachioed man in a dark suit with a lapel pin beside a woman in a light high-collared blouse; at right, a clean-shaven man beside a woman wearing an elaborately dressed hat with decorative combs.

Aluminum novelty portrait frames of this type were a popular commercial product of the early twentieth century, sold through studios and gift shops as personalized keepsakes and wall pieces, with the photographs inserted into die-cut openings in the pressed and decorated metal ground.

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