Michael Lehr Antiques
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Spring 2025 Unsold Lots

Sun, May 4, 2025 06:00PM EDT
Buy Now   2025-05-04 18:00:00 2025-05-04 18:00:00 America/New_York Michael Lehr Michael Lehr : Spring 2025 Unsold Lots https://auction.michaellehrantiques.com/auctions/michael-lehr-antiques/spring-2025-unsold-lots-19478
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Lot 239

Cabinet Card of Highly Polished Brass Plumbing Valve

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Price
$140

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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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