Michael Lehr Antiques
Live Auction

Spring Photographic History Auction

Sat, May 3, 2025 01:00PM EDT
  2025-05-03 13:00:00 2025-05-03 13:00:00 America/New_York Michael Lehr Michael Lehr : Spring Photographic History Auction https://auction.michaellehrantiques.com/auctions/michael-lehr-antiques/spring-photographic-history-auction-19217
Raw, rare, and unforgettable—this is 19th- and early 20th-century photography at its best. Vernacular portraits, Native American warriors, African American resilience, Mormon pioneers, Western frontier families, and stark post-mortem scenes. Daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, tintypes, CDVs, and cabinet cards that capture real life without filters. Every image tells a story of survival, pride, and change. A museum-worthy collection for those who know real American history when they see it.
Michael Lehr Antiques info@michaellehrantiques.com
Lot 238

Cabinet Card of Fleming's General Store California

Estimate: $100 - $200
Starting Bid
$50

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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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