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 242

CDV, Three Visitors at Lookout Mountain, R. M. Linn & Bro., Tenn

Estimate: $100 - $200
Starting Bid
$50

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
Three visitors posed among the layered sandstone outcroppings at Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, are captured in this CDV by R. M. Linn & Bro., Photographers, operating from the Gallery at Point Lookout on Lookout Mountain, dating to the 1870s or early 1880s. The outdoor setting, natural rock formations, and open sky background make this an on-location photograph rather than a studio composition, a format well suited to the tourist trade that developed at Lookout Mountain following the Civil War.

Two women and a man are arranged across the rock face, the first woman standing at upper left beneath a dramatic flat stone overhang with her hand resting on the rock, the second woman seated at center on a lower ledge in a dark bustle-era dress with ruffled hem and a flowered hat, and the man standing at right in a light waistcoat and dark suit with his arm resting casually on the rock beside him. Sparse scrub vegetation grows at the base of the formation and a distant rocky cliff is visible in the background at right.

Lookout Mountain became a major tourist destination after the Civil War, drawing visitors to Point Lookout for its sweeping views of the Tennessee River valley and its association with the famous 1863 Battle Above the Clouds. R. M. Linn & Bro. operated their gallery at this summit location to serve the growing postwar tourist trade. The subjects are unidentified.

The reverse bears a green and gold decorated mount with the imprint "Gallery, Point Lookout, Lookout Mountain, Tenn., R. M. Linn & Bro., Photographers," with penciled notations reading "0835/13" and "$12." at the top.

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