Michael Lehr Antiques
Live Auction

Fall Photographic History Auction, 2025

Sat, Sep 6, 2025 01:00PM EDT
  2025-09-06 13:00:00 2025-09-06 13:00:00 America/New_York Michael Lehr Michael Lehr : Fall Photographic History Auction, 2025 https://auction.michaellehrantiques.com/auctions/michael-lehr-antiques/fall-photographic-history-auction-2025-20189
We are pleased to announce our next auction, featuring approximately 200 individual lots drawn from a diverse and compelling range of 19th- and early 20th-century photography. This sale focuses on vernacular images, photographs created not as formal studio portraits or elite commissions, but as direct, unscripted records of lived experience. These are objects made by and for everyday people, preserving moments of intimacy, labor, travel, performance, identity, and loss.
Michael Lehr Antiques info@michaellehrantiques.com
Lot 336

Cabinet Card Photograph of Industrial Valve Assembly by Sturdevant, Louisiana

Estimate: $100 - $200
Starting Bid
$50

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $10
$200 $20
$320 $30
$380 $20
$420 $30
$480 $20
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $200
$3,200 $300
$3,800 $200
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$4,800 $200
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$20,000 $2,000
$32,000 $3,000
$38,000 $2,000
$42,000 $3,000
$48,000 $2,000
$50,000 $5,000
$100,000 $10,000
$200,000 $20,000
$320,000 $30,000
$380,000 $20,000
$420,000 $30,000
$480,000 $20,000
$500,000 $50,000
Unusual cabinet card photograph depicting a precision-machined industrial valve or mechanical component, presented in studio setting with crisp detail and clean backdrop. The image is credited to E.K. Sturdevant of the Calcasieu Photo Gallery, located on Broad Street in Lake Charles, Louisiana, with his distinctive vertical imprint printed along the card mount.

Likely intended for documentation or promotional purposes, the subject appears to be a custom-fabricated valve, pressure fitting, or hydraulic assembly, complete with bolts, flanges, and an adjustment screw. The image conveys the technological aesthetics of late 19th or early 20th century American industrial design, and serves as a striking visual testament to craftsmanship in the Gulf South during the industrial expansion era.

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