Albumen cabinet card portrait of a young woman posed full-length holding a banjo, photographed by Hennigar Bros., Middletown, Connecticut, circa late 1880s to early 1890s. The sitter stands before a painted studio backdrop, dressed in a fitted bodice and bustle-style skirt, with the banjo held upright as a deliberate prop emphasizing musicianship rather than casual amusement.

Images of women with banjos occupy a specific cultural moment in late 19th-century America, when the instrument was transitioning from minstrelsy into parlor music and respectable domestic performance. Such portraits often reflect changing attitudes toward women’s public and semi-public artistic expression, especially within middle-class studio photography. The controlled studio pose and formal dress suggest a performative identity aligned with accomplishment and refinement.

The photographer’s imprint, “Hennigar Bros., Middletown, Conn.,” appears on the mount, with an ornate red-ink studio logo on the verso. A strong example of a musical occupation or hobby portrait within New England cabinet photography, appealing to collectors of vernacular music imagery, women’s history, and 19th-century American studio work.