An unidentified ventriloquist stands in a full-length oval vignette portrait alongside a large full-body dummy in this cabinet card produced by Augustus W. Wilson and Co., Photographers, 13e Dalston Lane, Kingsland, North London. The reverse identifies the studio location as Dalston Junction Bazaar and notes prize medals awarded at the Photographic Exhibition of Great Britain in 1878 and the only Gold Medal at the International Photographic Exhibition of 1880. The reverse mount was printed by Trapp and Munch of Berlin.
The ventriloquist wears a black tailcoat with white waistcoat, pleated shirtfront, and white bow tie, a watch chain visible at his waist, and looks upward with a slight smile. The dummy stands at his left, reaching approximately to his chest, dressed in a horizontally striped knit top with button trim, corduroy trousers, and a button-studded cap, its hinged jaw open and its painted face turned upward toward the ventriloquist's gaze. Both figures are posed within a draped studio column backdrop.
The reverse bears the Augustus W. Wilson and Co. imprint in decorative floral typography with award designations, the Dalston Junction Bazaar address at 13e Dalston Lane East, and the standard guarantee that duplicates and enlargements could be made from the portrait. The catalog notation reads "2/11/07 / COBHAC / Eb."
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