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 193

CDV, Studio Posing Chair and Camera Stand, J.F. Ryder, 1865

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
A tufted velvet posing chair and an adjustable studio stand are arranged on a bare wood floor in this albumen carte de visite by James Fitzallen Ryder, Photographer, Cleveland, Ohio, dated 1865 in a period hand on the reverse. The two objects are standard portrait studio equipment of the period, and the image was almost certainly made as a record of Ryder's own studio furnishings or as a promotional piece demonstrating the appointments of his gallery.

The upholstered posing chair at right is deeply tufted in pale velvet, fully buttoned across its back and seat, with turned gilt front legs fitted with ceramic casters and a decorative cross-brace below the seat rail. The adjustable studio stand at left features an ornate cast or wrought iron base with scrolled legs and cross-stretchers, a circular height-adjustment collar at mid-shaft, and a rectangular wooden top surface, consistent with the adjustable posing tables and equipment supports used in portrait studios of the 1860s.

James Fitzallen Ryder was among the most prominent photographers in nineteenth-century Cleveland, operating his own studio from 1856, introducing negative retouching to the United States in 1868, and photographing multiple U.S. presidents over the course of his career. The 1865 date places this card at the height of his early practice and among the earliest documented examples of his studio record photography.

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