Michael Lehr Antiques
Live Auction

September 2026 Vernacular Photo History Auction

Sat, Sep 19, 2026 11:00AM EDT
  2026-09-19 11:00:00 2026-09-19 11:00:00 America/New_York Michael Lehr Michael Lehr : September 2026 Vernacular Photo History Auction https://auction.michaellehrantiques.com/auctions/michael-lehr-antiques/september-2026-vernacular-photo-history-auction-24380
Our September 2026 auction is anchored by two remarkable private collections, together making up about half the sale, alongside a broader selection of consignments spanning early photography, Civil War material, and vernacular imagery. The Soffer Collection, built with an eye for rarity and historical significance, is particularly strong in vernacular portraiture, Native American photographs, and Iowa Civil War imagery. The Palmer, Massachusetts collection, much of it found at Brimfield, centers on maker-marked daguerreotypes from the golden age of the American daguerreian studio.
Michael Lehr Antiques info@michaellehrantiques.com
Lot 103

Boudoir Card, Barbershop Interior, Rome, Idaho, 1919

Estimate: $25 - $50
Starting Bid
$10

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $5
$100 $10
$200 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$20,000 $2,000
$50,000 $5,000
Two barbers stand at their stations in a well-appointed small-town shop captured on a boudoir card, dated by inscription to 1919 in Rome, Idaho. The image is a gelatin silver print mounted on a plain buff card stock with no photographer's imprint visible on the reverse. A February calendar advertising J. A. Armstrong Department Store is clearly legible on the right wall, corroborating the 1919 date and anchoring the location within a specific commercial community.

The left barber wears a dark vest over a dress shirt and stands with both hands resting on the back of a tufted leather barber chair, while the right barber in a white shirt and bow tie holds a folded towel at his side. A large back-bar mirror reflects the shop's depth, pendant electric globe lights hang from the ceiling, rows of bottles and cups line the work shelf, a wall-mounted sink appears at the far left, and a cylindrical water heater stands at the far right.

Rome, Idaho is a small community in Owyhee County, and photographs documenting its commercial life from this era are rare. The J. A. Armstrong Department Store calendar visible in the image represents a locally documented business from the period, making this interior view a notable piece of regional commercial history.

The reverse bears the pencil inscription "1919 Rome - Idaho" and a price notation of "95" in the upper right corner.

From the collection of James Lee Soffer

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