Exceptional late 19th-century cabinet card depicting the storefront of L.G. & T.G. Fleming’s General Store, a well-stocked and active establishment likely located in California, as indicated by the distinctive "Houseworth’s Souvenir Photographs" imprint on verso. The image showcases an array of individuals—men, women, and children—posed in front of the store, creating a vivid portrait of local commercial life during the post-Gold Rush era.
Details abound in this richly composed scene: brooms and produce hang from the storefront; bushels of fruits and large melons are carefully displayed on wooden crates and tables; and a painted sign reading “General Store” is prominently visible on the window to the right. The shop’s name is elegantly painted on the left-hand window, with the address number "45" displayed above the entrance. The image is not only a valuable record of early American merchandising and storefront architecture, but also a rare occupational view showing store clerks, proprietors, and customers together.
The verso bears the ornate logo of Thomas Houseworth & Co., a leading San Francisco photographic publisher known for their high-quality cabinet cards, stereoviews, and souvenir prints. Crisp in detail and expertly framed, the photograph captures both the structure and the spirit of daily life in a Western boomtown setting—making it an important artifact for collectors of early commerce, occupational photography, and California history.
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