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 247

CDV, Child on Sled in Winter Dress, Harter's Gallery, Auburn NY

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 child seated on a wooden sled in full winter dress is captured in this CDV by Harter's Fine Art Gallery, 83 Genesee Street, Auburn, New York, dating to the 1870s or 1880s. The mount reverse advertises the Davis Sewing Machine, Pianos and Melodeons for sale at Harter's, identifying this as a promotional card distributed by the gallery as part of its retail trade, a documented practice by which studios used portrait CDVs to advertise unrelated merchandise sold on the premises.

The child sits astride a well-worn wooden platform sled with curved bentwood runners and a rope guide visible at the front, wearing a dark tiered skirt, lace-up ankle boots, a heavy white knit or fur-trimmed wrap crossed at the chest, and a large white hat trimmed with feathers and a dark sprig. Long ringlet curls fall to the shoulders on either side of the face. The studio floor and plain tonal background give no suggestion of an outdoor setting.

The combination of a child subject with a sled prop brought into the studio was a popular convention of the period, evoking winter leisure and childhood innocence within the controlled environment of the portrait gallery. The sled itself appears to be a used household item rather than a studio prop, adding to the domestic character of the image. The subject is unidentified.

The reverse bears the decorative teal imprint of Harter's Fine Art Gallery, 83 Genesee Street, Auburn, New York, with advertising text reading "The Davis Sewing Machine, Pianos & Melodeons, For Sale at Harter's," and a penciled notation reading "ch146."

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