Michael Lehr Antiques
Live Auction

September 2026 Vernacular Photo History Auction

Sat, Sep 19, 2026 11:00AM EDT
  2026-09-19 11:00:00 2026-09-19 11:00:00 America/New_York Michael Lehr Michael Lehr : September 2026 Vernacular Photo History Auction https://auction.michaellehrantiques.com/auctions/michael-lehr-antiques/september-2026-vernacular-photo-history-auction-24380
Our September 2026 auction is anchored by two remarkable private collections, together making up about half the sale, alongside a broader selection of consignments spanning early photography, Civil War material, and vernacular imagery. The Soffer Collection, built with an eye for rarity and historical significance, is particularly strong in vernacular portraiture, Native American photographs, and Iowa Civil War imagery. The Palmer, Massachusetts collection, much of it found at Brimfield, centers on maker-marked daguerreotypes from the golden age of the American daguerreian studio.
Michael Lehr Antiques info@michaellehrantiques.com
Lot 157

Cabinet Card, Old Crow on Horseback, D.F. Barry, Bismarck

Estimate: $300 - $500
Starting Bid
$150

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $5
$100 $10
$200 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$20,000 $2,000
$50,000 $5,000
Old Crow, identified by the printed label at the bottom of the mount, is depicted on horseback in this albumen cabinet card by D. F. Barry of Bismarck, Dakota Territory. Barry was among the foremost photographers of Plains Indian subjects in the late nineteenth century, producing an extensive series of portraits at and around the Standing Rock and Fort Yates area during the 1870s and 1880s.

The subject wears a dark dress with a plaid blanket or skirt gathered across the lap, a large feathered hat, and a circular breastplate or medallion at the chest. The hair is worn in long braids, and the figure holds the horse's reins with both hands while seated squarely in the saddle. A tent or structure is faintly visible in the background behind the horse's hindquarters.

Barry's Plains Indian portraits are among the most collected and reproduced documentary photographs of the era, and this example, made while Dakota Territory was still a pre-statehood jurisdiction, carries both historical and ethnographic weight. The reverse bears the printed imprint "D. F. Barry, Photographer, Bismarck, D.T." on a floral-patterned cream mount. The recto label reads "OLD CROW."

From the collection of James Lee Soffer

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