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 151

Cabinet Card, Native American Portrait Composite, J.J. McNamara

Estimate: $200 - $300
Starting Bid
$100

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 boudoir-format cabinet card presenting a composite of sixteen individual photographs of Native American subjects, assembled as a photographer's sales sample and retailed through J.J. McNamara's P.O. News Store. The images are arranged in four rows of four and reproduce portraits from a numbered series, with captions printed beneath each image identifying subjects including Red Cloud, Red Shirt, Spotted Tail, Standing Bear's Girls, Black Horse, Two Bears, and Cheyenne Chief Opesta, among others.

Subjects are depicted in a range of dress from traditional regalia to citizen clothing, with visible details including full feathered headdresses, layered bead necklaces, striped blankets, and a top hat held by the subject identified as Two Bears. One image in the lower row reproduces an engraved illustration rather than a photograph, captioned as The Kibler Massacre. A Yankton Indian subject is shown bare-chested in three-quarter profile, wearing a long strand of beads and holding a pipe.

Spotted Tail was a prominent Brule Lakota chief and diplomatic leader whose portrait was widely reproduced in commercial series during the 1870s and 1880s. Red Cloud and Red Shirt were similarly celebrated figures whose images circulated broadly through studio series sold at news depots and dry goods counters across the frontier West.

The front mount carries the imprint "J.J. McNamara, P.O. News Store" along the lower border. The reverse is plain with a horizontal fold crease and a handwritten notation in the upper right corner reading "300."

Available payment options

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

All SHIPPING IS FREE for purchases above $500, buyers to pay insurance at $2 per $100.