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 162

Cabinet Card, Native American Nez Perce Youth, Elite Studio, Grangeville ID

Estimate: $400 - $600
Starting Bid
$200

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 young Native American Nex Perce man stands in full-length portrait on this cabinet card produced by Hanson's Elite Studio of Grangeville, Idaho, almost certainly dating to the 1890s given the studio's known period of operation in Idaho County. Grangeville sits at the heart of Nez Perce territory, and the subject's regalia, posture, and studio setting place this firmly within the tradition of formal Indigenous portraiture produced in the region during that era.

The subject wears a dark fur cap with a feather, long hair falling past his shoulders, and large circular ear ornaments. Multiple strands of shell or bone beads layer across his chest, and his outfit combines a fringed leather upper garment with a plaid trade-cloth lower wrap and beaded leggings. He holds a decorated staff or bow at his side, stands on a striped blanket, and a large animal pelt is draped over a prop to his left against a painted mountain backdrop.

Grangeville, established in Camas Prairie country, was a commercial hub serving the surrounding Nez Perce homeland throughout the late nineteenth century, making this studio portrait a document of regional Indigenous life produced on the community's own doorstep.

The reverse bears a handwritten catalog notation "6751" in the upper right corner; the front mount imprint reads "Hanson Photo... Elite Studio, Grangeville, Idaho."

From the collection of James Lee Soffer

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