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 168

Cabinet Card, Arapaho Agency Police, C.C. Stotz, Fort Reno

Estimate: $300 - $500
Starting Bid
$150

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
An Arapaho Agency Police officer stands at full length before a painted studio backdrop, captured in a cabinet card by C.C. Stotz at Fort Reno, Indian Territory. The imprint on the mount's lower border reads "Fort Reno, C.C. Stotz, Indian Territory," placing the sitting firmly within the reservation period, most likely the 1880s or early 1890s when Stotz operated at that location.

The subject wears a dark buttoned vest over a white long-sleeved shirt, a beaded or bone choker necklace, and a wide decorated belt with a white apron panel at the front. Long fur-wrapped braids hang down his chest, and his leggings carry geometric beadwork along the lower borders ending in fringe. He holds a cane or riding crop in his right hand and rests his left on a draped pedestal table beside a wide-brimmed light-colored hat.

The Darlington Agency at Fort Reno served the Southern Arapaho and Cheyenne, and agency police units were formally established there by the early 1880s to maintain order on the reservation under Bureau of Indian Affairs authority.

The reverse bears a pencil inscription reading "An Arapahoe Agency Police" and a later notation "LS++ / 1/21/96" in the lower right corner.

From the collection of James Lee Soffer

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