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 520

Cabinet Card, Six Women with Fans, Sunderland, Hartford WI

Estimate: $200 - $300
Starting Bid
$100

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
Six unidentified women pose together in a carefully arranged studio composition, each holding an open or partially spread decorative hand fan, photographed as a cabinet card by J. C. Sunderland of Hartford, Wisconsin, likely in the late 1880s based on dress silhouette and studio appointments.

All six subjects wear dark, high-collared dresses with fitted long sleeves, consistent with fashions of the period. One woman reclines on the floor in the foreground with her fan spread across her lap, while others are positioned standing, seated, and leaning through a parted drape in a tiered arrangement. A patterned carpet or tapestry hangs at right, and an ornate arched studio backdrop with carved prop furniture occupies the left background, with a visible curtain rod overhead.

J. C. Sunderland operated in Hartford, Washington County, Wisconsin, a small community whose local photographers are sparsely documented; the elaborate fan prop staging suggests a deliberate themed sitting, possibly for a social club or performance group.

The reverse bears the penciled notation "7WW22" in the upper left corner.

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