Michael Lehr Antiques
Live Auction

September 2026 Vernacular Photo History Auction

Sat, Sep 19, 2026 11:00AM EDT
Lot 103

Boudoir Card, Barbershop Interior, Rome, Idaho, 1919

Estimate: $25 - $50

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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