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 298

Cabinet Card, Child with Christmas Tree and Toy Village, Weaver

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
A small child stands before a towering, densely decorated Christmas tree surrounded by an elaborate toy village in this cabinet card produced by P.S. Weaver, identified on the reverse stamp as an Artistic Photographer. The image is a richly detailed Christmas tree photographs in the cabinet card format, with the tree filling the upper three-quarters of the frame from edge to edge.

The child, likely a toddler of approximately two years, wears a white lace-trimmed dress and dark boots and stands on a raised platform at the base of the tree. The tree is laden with paper chains, hanging cornucopias, a heart ornament, a sailboat, an anchor, cross and star shapes, animal figures, flags, and numerous additional paper and die-cut decorations draped across every branch. At the base, an elaborate toy village is arranged on the platform, including two detailed dollhouses, a windmill with a horse-drawn cart, a decorative fence enclosure with figures, and scattered small animals and figurines. A patterned carpet or mat is laid out in the foreground below the platform.

Christmas tree cabinet cards were produced in American studios from the 1870s onward, but examples with this density of ornament and an accompanying toy village display of this scale are uncommon. The ornament types visible — paper chains, cornucopias, die-cut figures, and nautical shapes — are consistent with German-manufactured Christmas decorations widely imported into the United States during the 1880s and 1890s.

The mount has green ruled border lines on the front and bears penciled notations on the reverse reading "COLAXX1 / 8/27/05 / E6."

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