Michael Lehr Antiques
Live Auction

2026 European Photography Auction

Wed, Oct 28, 2026 01:00PM EDT
  2026-10-28 13:00:00 2026-10-28 13:00:00 America/New_York Michael Lehr Michael Lehr : 2026 European Photography Auction https://auction.michaellehrantiques.com/auctions/michael-lehr-antiques/2026-european-photography-auction-24401
Our October auction focuses on historic European photography, we are offering a curated collection of fine and erotic daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, tintypes, CDV, cabinet cards, stereoviews, and a range of curious and uncommon nineteenth-century European vernacular material. At the center of the sale is a collection of images from the Paris Commune of 1871 and the surrounding “année terrible,” the year of war, siege, insurrection, and reprisal that reshaped France. The focus is on the people who drove those events and lived through their aftermath, and on the city that bore the damage.
Michael Lehr Antiques info@michaellehrantiques.com
Lot 106

Cabinet Card, Pierrot Troupe with Instruments, Margate, W.J. Day

Estimate: $200 - $300
Starting Bid
$10

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
A cabinet card photograph of a seaside Pierrot troupe of eight men posed before a brick building exterior in Margate, made by W.J. Day of 184 High Street, Margate. The tradition of seaside Pierrots in pointed hats performing at British coastal resorts began in the 1890s, and this image belongs to that early era, bearing all the hallmarks of the genre's first decade.

Seven of the eight men wear the classic Pierrot costume: white loose-fitting suits with ruffled collars, conical white hats, and large dark pom-pom buttons running down the front. Two performers in the foreground are seated and hold stringed instruments, one a mandolin and the other an acoustic guitar, while a third man standing at left wears a painted-on mustache as part of his stage persona. The eighth figure, positioned at rear center, is dressed in a dark suit and brimmed hat, likely the troupe's manager or director. A "Saloon Bar, First Door Round the Corner" sign is plainly legible on the brick wall to the right, and above the entrance a notice reading "Licensed Pursuant to Act of Parliament for Music and Singing" confirms the venue's entertainment license.

Margate was one of the principal seaside resorts where Pierrot troupes performed, and before long there were three or four different Pierrot troupes in each seaside town, vying with one another for the attention of holidaymakers. This group portrait, taken outside a licensed music venue rather than on the beach, suggests a troupe established enough to play indoor engagements as well as open-air pitches.

The reverse bears the ornate printed imprint of W.J. Day, Photographer, 184 High Street, Margate, with the notation "Negatives Kept. Copies May Be Had." The number "150" is inscribed in pencil at the top right of the reverse.

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We ship for free on combined lot values of $500 or higher in the United States. We will be traveling to Paris November 8-14th and can deliver any of our items at Paris Photo or the show on Saturday.