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 125

CDV, Prize Gymnast with Medals and Trophy Cup, Richard Keene, Burton-on-Trent

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 powerfully built gymnast stands in three-quarter length pose wearing a dark sleeveless athletic suit over white shorts, displaying three competition medals pinned to his chest and holding a large silver trophy cup at his side. The CDV was produced by Richard Keene Junior at his studio at 52 and 56 High Street, Burton-on-Trent, a studio he operated from approximately 1878 onward, and the decorative back design with its botanical motifs, birds in flight, and advertising text places this example firmly within the later Victorian period.

The subject's cropped hair, direct forward gaze, and broad bare arms project athletic confidence, while the medals, each suspended from a separate ribbon, confirm multiple competitive honors. A painted studio backdrop of draped fabric and a rocky or tree-trunk prop provides the sole setting, with the gymnast's right hand resting on the prop and his left gripping the stemmed trophy.

Richard Keene Junior (1852–1899) maintained studios in both Derby and Burton-on-Trent, and he opened his studio at 52 High Street, Burton-on-Trent in approximately 1878. The 52 and 56 High Street address visible on the reverse indicates the studio had expanded to encompass both premises, consistent with his more established period of operation.

Reverse bears the printed studio imprint of Richard Keene, Artist in Photography, 52 and 56 High Street, Burton-on-Trent, with advertising text for enlarged portraits in oil, watercolors, crayon, and carbon, and the notation that negatives were kept and copies could always be obtained. A handwritten number "124" appears in pencil at the top of the reverse.

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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.