Michael Lehr Antiques
Live Auction

September 2026 Vernacular Photo History Auction

Sat, Sep 19, 2026 11:00AM EDT
  2026-09-19 11:00:00 2026-09-19 11:00:00 America/New_York Michael Lehr Michael Lehr : September 2026 Vernacular Photo History Auction https://auction.michaellehrantiques.com/auctions/michael-lehr-antiques/september-2026-vernacular-photo-history-auction-24380
Our September 2026 auction is anchored by two remarkable private collections, together making up about half the sale, alongside a broader selection of consignments spanning early photography, Civil War material, and vernacular imagery. The Soffer Collection, built with an eye for rarity and historical significance, is particularly strong in vernacular portraiture, Native American photographs, and Iowa Civil War imagery. The Palmer, Massachusetts collection, much of it found at Brimfield, centers on maker-marked daguerreotypes from the golden age of the American daguerreian studio.
Michael Lehr Antiques info@michaellehrantiques.com
Lot 640

CDVs, Postcards, and Ephemera, Artists Theme, Binder Collection

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 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$20,000 $2,000
$50,000 $5,000
A three-ring binder assembled around the theme of painters and artists holds a diverse accumulation of photographic and printed ephemera spanning roughly the 1860s through the mid-twentieth century, including CDVs, cabinet cards, real photo postcards, illustrated postcards, trade cards, and press prints, all housed in clear plastic sleeve pages. The CDVs bear the imprint of Gustav Schauer, the Berlin photographer and art publisher active from 1851 to 1864 and known for his reproductions of paintings, and include a portrait inscribed "Rosa Bonheur" on the reverse. Additional identifiable subjects visible across the pages include a postcard captioned "Max Big Man, Crow Indian Artist," a captioned press photo of Salvador Dalí at Cadaqués alongside a fisherman, a portrait card labeled "Puvis de Chavannes," and a group of palette-shaped novelty trade cards issued by multiple publishers.

The binder's contents reflect a deliberately thematic collection built around visual art and artists: portraits of old master subjects reproduced as CDVs, artist-themed comic and greeting postcards, die-cut palette-form trade cards printed in color with genre scenes, a "Best Birthday Wishes" palette postcard, a "Monarch of the Glen" stag card, and illustrated cards captioned "The English Game Keeper" and "The Artist." Handwritten inscriptions appear on numerous reverses, postal cancellations from Germany and Spain are present, and one pocket contains printed event ephemera related to a "Paint by Numbers" exhibition featuring Dan Robbins, held in Chicago in 1999.

Rosa Bonheur was widely considered the most famous female painter of the nineteenth century, celebrated for her monumental animal compositions. Max Big Man was a Crow educator, historian, and artist born in Crow Agency, Montana, who represented the Crow in Washington, D.C. and was made an honorary chief by Plenty Coups.

The binder is an Avery Dennison Heavy Duty EZD View Binder. No dimensions for the individual items have been provided.

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