Spring 2025 Unsold Lots
Unsold lots will be available on a first come basis. As always free shipping with $500 or more in purchases which can include auction purchases. Michael Lehr Antiques info@michaellehrantiques.com
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Unusual late 19th-century cabinet card showing a crisp, close-up photograph of a gleaming brass plumbing valve or stopcock. Captured with exceptional detail and high contrast, the image highlights both the functional engineering and aesthetic craftsmanship of the fixture, including the turned handle and finely machined fittings. The composition is striking in its stark minimalism, with the reflective surface of the valve commanding attention against a neutral studio backdrop.
Photographed by H.A. Abercromby of Pottstown, Pennsylvania and Orlando, Florida, the mount features ornate typography and a bold graphic reverse, promoting the photographer's prize-winning studio at 254 High Street. Abercromby was known for his technical skill and innovative marketing—offering enlargement services in pastel, crayon, and watercolor—as reflected on the verso with its medal from the 1893 South Florida Fair.
Likely created for advertising or trade purposes, this image stands out as an early example of industrial and product photography, executed with the care and clarity usually reserved for portraiture. A scarce and eye-catching artifact from the intersection of commerce, plumbing innovation, and 19th-century photographic artistry.
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