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 137

Cabinet Card, Hunter with Rifle, Fish, and Hound, Butte Montana

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 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$20,000 $2,000
$50,000 $5,000
A Montana hunter poses in full sporting dress for this albumen cabinet card made by Angelo J. Dusseau in Butte, Montana Territory during the 1880s. Dusseau (1842–1908) established himself in Deer Lodge around 1874 before relocating to Butte by 1876 or 1877, where he operated from a two-story building at the corner of Main Street and Broadway until his death. The image is among the more evocative examples of frontier sporting portraiture to emerge from his studio.

The subject stands before a painted woodland backdrop, gripping a long-barreled rifle by its stock with his right hand while raising a freshly caught trout aloft in his left. He wears a wide-brimmed cowboy hat, a buckskin hunting coat with button front, bloused trousers tucked into tall boots, and a cartridge belt loaded with shotgun shells around his waist. A dark hound lies at his feet on a bed of straw, and a artificial rock prop anchors the left side of the composition. The man's expression is relaxed, with a trimmed mustache and a slight smile.

Dusseau's sign, "Dusseau the Photographer," adorned the Main Street facade of his Broadway studio until the Hirbour Tower replaced the building in 1901. After his death in 1908, business partner R. Thompson assumed operations.

The mount face reads "Dusseau / Butte, Mont." The reverse carries a green printed imprint: "A.J. Dusseau Portraits / Butte, Mont. / N.E. Cor. Main St. and Broadway." The card measures 6 5/8" x 4 1/4".

From the collection of James Lee Soffer

Available payment options

  • Visa
  • Mastercard
  • Amex
  • Diners
  • Discover
  • JCB
  • Union Pay
PayPal

All SHIPPING of photographs with total purchases above $500 is FREE, buyers to pay insurance at $2 per $100.