A pair of polished brass andirons posed as a product advertising photograph is the sole subject of this cabinet card by Lewis Horning, operating as the Parlor Gallery at 523 South Ninth Street, Philadelphia, between 1884 and 1889. The reverse carries the manuscript notation "Advertising cabinet card" and "Lewis Horning, Artist," identifying this as a commercial commission made to promote a craftsman's or retailer's wares rather than a conventional portrait. Product advertising cabinet cards of this type are uncommon survivals from the period before halftone printing made photographic reproduction in print catalogs practical.
The andirons are a matched pair in a baluster-column style with polished spherical ball finials surmounted by small urn-shaped caps, secondary ball finials at the midshaft, and splayed scrolled feet with cutwork bracket details. The high polish of the brass reflects the studio lighting clearly in both orbs. The pair is presented on a fur or textile surface against a blurred studio backdrop, with what appears to be a fireplace fender or grate visible between the uprights.
The reverse bears the elaborate black-printed imprint of the Parlor Gallery, 523 S. Ninth St., Philadelphia, with the manuscript notations "Lewis Horning, Artist," "Advertising cabinet card," "31," and "30" in pencil at the upper corners.
Available payment options