Michael Lehr Antiques
Live Auction

June 2026 Vernacular Photo History Auction

Wed, Jun 24, 2026 11:00AM EDT
  2026-06-24 11:00:00 2026-06-24 11:00:00 America/New_York Michael Lehr Michael Lehr : June 2026 Vernacular Photo History Auction https://auction.michaellehrantiques.com/auctions/michael-lehr-antiques/june-2026-vernacular-photo-history-auction-23574
Our June 2026 auction presents a focused and exceptional selection of historical photographs spanning the 1840s through the early twentieth century, with unusual depth in named subjects, rare formats, and documented provenance anchored by strong vernacular material that rewards close looking.
Michael Lehr Antiques info@michaellehrantiques.com
Lot 272

Cabinet Card, Two Land Surveyors with Transit, Sheboygan

Estimate: $200 - $300
Current Bid
$100

Bid Increments

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$100 $10
$200 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
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$5,000 $5,000
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$50,000 $5,000
Four albumen carte-de-visite photographs document Victorian residential and ecclesiastical architecture in New Jersey, three of them bearing the printed imprint "Brigg & Colman, Architects, Newark, N.J." in the left margin, marking them as deliberate architectural records rather than casual views. Three prints were made by F. L. Huff's Photographic Gallery, 727 and 729 Broad Street, Newark, whose mount reverse notes "Out-door Work a Specialty," consistent with the on-site nature of these images. The fourth, an Episcopal church exterior, was made by Bridge's Photographic Rooms, No. 4 Van Houten Street, Paterson, New Jersey, with a manuscript inscription "Episcopal Church" on the face.

Three of the four Brigg & Colman views depict seaside or coastal residential structures: a two-story raised Stick Style cottage elevated on pilings with decorative vergeboard trim, wraparound porch, and a long wooden boardwalk extending to the left; a broad two-story Eastlake-influenced summer villa with open latticed verandas on both levels, a gently flared roofline, and ornamental X-bracing throughout; and a closely related two-story residence with a rounded corner porch, jigsawn gable ornament, and several figures seated on the front steps and porch, additional cottages visible in the flat background terrain. The Episcopal church card shows a simply constructed wood-frame chapel with lancet windows, a side entrance bay, and two chimneys, photographed from the exterior during or shortly after construction, lumber debris still visible on the ground.

Huff's Photographic Gallery at 727 and 729 Broad Street, Newark operated at that address from approximately 1868 through the mid-1870s, providing a probable date range for three of the four prints. The coastal setting visible in the three residential views, flat terrain with distant structures and open horizon, is consistent with the New Jersey Shore communities that saw rapid speculative development during this period, when Newark-area architects were actively engaged in designing seasonal cottages and resort buildings along the Atlantic coast.

The reverse of the Episcopal church CDV is printed in orange on cream stock and reads: "Bridge's Photographic Rooms / Over Hoop Skirt Store / No. 4 Van Houten Street / Paterson, N.J. / Please state if you wish the / Negative preserved." A manuscript inscription in ink on the reverse reads "Episcopal Church." The three Huff mounts share identical reverse printing in purple ink.

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