Two surveyors posed with their full complement of field equipment anchor this cabinet card, made by J. M. Koerner of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, likely in the late 1880s or early 1890s. The ivory-finish mount and the elaborate ornamental back imprint advertising "Artistic Photography" and "Instantaneous Process Used Exclusively" are consistent with Koerner's known studio output from that period.

The man at left wears a dark vest over a white shirt with a loosely knotted cravat and a bowler hat, gripping a tall checkered surveying rod; the man at right wears a lighter vest and a wide-brimmed hat with a mustache, holding a range pole, both men carrying additional measuring equipment in their free hands. Between them stands a brass transit telescope mounted on a wooden tripod, its horizontal circle and telescope clearly rendered. A painted studio backdrop depicting ornate architectural panels fills the background behind the figures.

A penciled inscription on the reverse reads "Dad what he allways wanted to fellow, was this work, Mother," identifying the subject as the writer's father and confirming that surveying was his chosen trade. The catalog number 125220 appears in the upper left corner of the reverse, alongside a partial notation in pencil.

The reverse bears the full imprint of J. M. Koerner, Sheboygan, Wis., "Artistic Photography," with additional printed notices that negatives were preserved for future orders.

From the collection of James Lee Soffer