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 227

CDV "Robinson Block" Townhouses, South Vallejo, California

Estimate: $200 - $300
Starting Bid
$100

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
An albumen carte-de-visite that documents a newly constructed row of four attached two-story townhouses identified on the reverse in period manuscript as "Robinson Block," South Vallejo, California. The image dates to circa 1868 to 1875, consistent with Vallejo's first major real estate boom following the city's incorporation in 1868, when speculative residential development expanded rapidly to house the wealthy manufacturers, merchants, and naval officers drawn to the growing city. No photographer's imprint is visible on the mount.

The building presents four symmetrical bays across its full facade, each unit featuring a tall ground-floor entrance with sidelights, an individual iron balcony railing above the doorway at the second story, and paired tall windows under decorative bracketed hood moldings. A low picket fence with square stone or brick posts runs the full length of the front yard. A woman in a light dress stands on one of the upper balconies at the far right, and a man holds a dark horse at the right foreground.

Vallejo's real estate boom of the late 1860s and early 1870s followed the arrival of the California Pacific Railroad, which brought regular rail service connecting the city to Sacramento and the transcontinental line. Robinson Block represents the speculative residential development that defined this period, when rows of attached townhouses were built for the city's growing professional class near the Mare Island Naval Shipyard.

The reverse carries two manuscript inscriptions reading "Robinson Block" in quotation marks and "South Vallejo" below. No photographer's imprint is present.

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