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 261

CDV, Wicker High Chair, Watson & Brummit, Detroit

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
A wicker and rattan child's high chair is photographed as a product or trade document in this CDV by Watson & Brummit's New Gallery, 164 Jefferson Avenue, Detroit, Michigan, dating to the 1870s or 1880s. The deliberate isolation of the object against a plain studio background, with careful attention to the chair's three-quarter angle to show both its front and side construction, identifies this as a commercial or catalog photograph rather than a conventional portrait card.

The chair is a tall high chair with a woven rattan seat, an elaborately latticed and arched back with decorative open-work patterning, short armrests at seat level, a footrest crossbar, and a base of splayed bentwood legs bound at the joints with wrapped cane. The construction throughout uses a combination of dark bent rattan for the structural framework and lighter woven cane for the seat and back infill. The chair casts a distinct shadow on the plain studio floor, adding depth to the composition.

Product photography produced in the CDV format for furniture makers, retailers, or catalog publishers is among the rarer applications of the medium, and examples documenting specific period furniture pieces with this level of detail are useful both as commercial history and as design documentation. The specific manufacturer or retailer who commissioned this photograph is unidentified.

The reverse bears the printed imprint of Watson & Brummit's New Gallery, 164 Jefferson Avenue, Detroit, Michigan, with the notation "Entrance in the Store," and multiple penciled notations including "No 220," "8.31.50," and additional figures.

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