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 485

Cabinet Card, Young Ventriloquist with Two Dummies, Richardson

Estimate: $100 - $200
Starting Bid
$50

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $5
$100 $10
$200 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $250
$5,000 $5,000
$10,000 $1,000
$20,000 $2,000
$50,000 $5,000
A young male ventriloquist, likely in his mid-teens, sits holding two full-body dummies simultaneously in this full-length cabinet card produced by H.N. Richardson of Steven's Point, Wisconsin, with the studio name printed in decorative type along the lower front mount border. The ventriloquist wears a dark double-breasted jacket with a patterned necktie and watch chain, seated on a low platform with both legs extended forward and a dummy balanced on each knee. The dummy at his left is a female figure in a floral-patterned dress with a white apron and bow in her hair, mouth open and one articulated hand raised with a pointing finger. The dummy at his right is a male figure in a dark sailor-collar jacket with disheveled reddish hair and an open hinged mouth, its head turned outward. The studio backdrop shows a decorative painted wall panel with foliate and geometric motifs at right, and a plain upper wall at left.

Portraits of young ventriloquists with two dummies are comparatively uncommon in the American cabinet card tradition, requiring the operator to control two figures simultaneously, a more advanced technical feat than the standard single-figure act and one that would have distinguished a performer on the provincial variety circuit of the 1880s and 1890s.

The reverse carries only the penciled catalog notation "DOLCEZ / 017" and no additional identification.

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