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 126

CDV, Female Athlete with Croquet Mallet, Ström & Walter, Berlin

Estimate: $50 - $100
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
A young woman stands at full length before a painted studio backdrop, holding a croquet mallet upright with both hands in a composed, direct pose. The CDV was produced in 1899 by the Berlin studio Ström & Walter, operating at Köpenicker Strasse 102 with a branch at Blücherstrasse 13. The studio was founded in 1888 and was active across Berlin's southern districts through the turn of the century.

She wears a light-colored athletic dress with a broad sailor collar trimmed in dark banding, matching triple-stripe banding at the hem, and full puffed sleeves gathered at the cuffs. Dark stockings and low heeled shoes with bow details are visible below the hemline, and several croquet balls are scattered on the studio floor at her feet. A rustic wooden fence prop with climbing floral sprigs fills the left background.

The croquet mallet and sport-dress costume place this portrait within the fashionable late-Victorian tradition of women's sporting portraiture, when games such as croquet offered women a socially sanctioned arena for athletic participation and public visibility. The sailor-collar silhouette and leg-of-mutton sleeve form are consistent with mid-to-late 1890s dress reform aesthetics associated with active women's leisure wear.

The reverse imprint reads: "Ström & Walter / Berlin, S.O. / Köpnicker-Str. 102 / und S.W. Blücher-Str. 13 / 1899" with a printed note below: "Die Platte bleibt für Nachbestellungen u. Vergrösserungen aufbewahrt" (The negative is retained for reorders and enlargements). No manuscript inscription is present.

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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.