Michael Lehr Antiques
Live Auction

2026 European Photography Auction

Wed, Oct 28, 2026 01:00PM EDT
  2026-10-28 13:00:00 2026-10-28 13:00:00 America/New_York Michael Lehr Michael Lehr : 2026 European Photography Auction https://auction.michaellehrantiques.com/auctions/michael-lehr-antiques/2026-european-photography-auction-24401
Our October auction focuses on historic European photography, we are offering a curated collection of fine and erotic daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, tintypes, CDV, cabinet cards, stereoviews, and a range of curious and uncommon nineteenth-century European vernacular material. At the center of the sale is a collection of images from the Paris Commune of 1871 and the surrounding “année terrible,” the year of war, siege, insurrection, and reprisal that reshaped France. The focus is on the people who drove those events and lived through their aftermath, and on the city that bore the damage.
Michael Lehr Antiques info@michaellehrantiques.com
Lot 132

Cabinet Card, Woman Gymnast with Indian Clubs, G & W Morgan, Aberdeen

Estimate: $100 - $200
Starting Bid
$10

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
An unidentified woman poses holding a pair of large Indian clubs in this cabinet card produced by the Aberdeen studio of G & W Morgan, active at 5 Market Street. The bold, frontal composition and confident bearing of the subject suggest a practiced gymnast rather than a casual sitter, and the prominent display of the clubs as the central prop signals that the photograph was almost certainly made to document or promote her athletic identity. Indian club swinging was exceptionally popular during the fitness movement of the late Victorian era, used by military cadets and well-heeled ladies alike. The mount's verso carries a prize medallion device noting the studio was awarded first prize at the Aberdeen Exhibition of 1888, placing this image firmly within the studio's peak years.

The subject wears a dark, loose-cut gymnasium blouse with a wide white sailor collar and full gathered sleeves, paired with a pleated skirt, a practical costume suited to athletic exercise. She holds one club in each hand, their bulbous heads rising above her shoulders, while a third club leans against a decorative studio chair visible at lower right. Her dark, curly hair is dressed up in a high chignon, and her expression is direct and composed.

George William Morgan, born in 1855 in Clatt, northeastern Scotland, opened the Elite Studios with his brother William at 5 Market Street in Aberdeen, having trained under San Francisco photographer George Daniels Morse before returning to Scotland. The Aberdeen Daily Journal described Morgan as "a thorough artist in every sense of the word," and he was known for experimenting with light sources, making what are believed to be the first nighttime photographs utilizing magnesium light in 1894.

The reverse bears the printed studio imprint of G & W Morgan, Photographers, 5 Market Street, Opposite the New Market, Aberdeen, with a First Prize award device inscribed "Aberdeen Exhibition 1888," and a handwritten catalog notation reading "No. 16114."

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We ship for free on combined lot values of $500 or higher in the United States. We will be traveling to Paris November 8-14th and can deliver any of our items at Paris Photo or the show on Saturday.