Michael Lehr Antiques
Live Auction

Winter Photographic History Auction 2026

Sat, Jan 31, 2026 01:00PM EST
  2026-01-31 13:00:00 2026-01-31 13:00:00 America/New_York Michael Lehr Michael Lehr : Winter Photographic History Auction 2026 https://auction.michaellehrantiques.com/auctions/michael-lehr-antiques/winter-photographic-history-auction-2026-21839
We are pleased to present our Winter Photography Auction, opening January 31 at 1:00 PM Eastern, featuring approximately 270 individual lots spanning the full breadth of 19th- and early 20th-century photography. The sale brings together landmark historical images, rare early photographic processes, and a deep selection of vernacular material created outside the conventions of formal studio portraiture. Collectively, these works offer a direct, unfiltered record of American life, identity, conflict, labor, and memory during photography’s formative century.
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Lot 292

CDV Portrait of Chang and Eng Bunker, Siamese Twins

Estimate: $200 - $400
Current Bid
$130

Bid Increments

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$200 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$20,000 $2,000
Carte de visite photograph depicting Chang and Eng Bunker, widely known as the Siamese Twins, posed with family members in a studio setting. The image shows a group portrait arranged around the conjoined brothers, with adults and children seated and standing in a formal composition. The photograph is an albumen print on a standard CDV mount, with the image presented within an oval vignette against a plain studio background. No photographer’s imprint is visible on the recto.

Chang and Eng Bunker were internationally famous figures in the nineteenth century, known for their public exhibitions and later for establishing family lives in the United States. Group portraits such as this reflect the period’s interest in presenting them not only as curiosities but also within domestic and familial contexts, emphasizing respectability and normalcy alongside their physical condition.

The verso bears a handwritten identification reading “Siamese Twins, Yang + Eng & Families." The mount is plain, without a printed studio backmark, consistent with commercially circulated CDVs of the mid to late nineteenth century.

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