Michael Lehr Antiques
Live Auction

March 2026 Unreserved Photo Auction — Curiosities, Performers & Vernacular Photography

Sat, Mar 28, 2026 01:00PM EDT
  2026-03-28 13:00:00 2026-03-28 13:00:00 America/New_York Michael Lehr Michael Lehr : March 2026 Unreserved Photo Auction — Curiosities, Performers & Vernacular Photography https://auction.michaellehrantiques.com/auctions/michael-lehr-antiques/march-2026-unreserved-photo-auction-curiosities-performers-vernacular-photography-22648
Our March 2026 auction presents a wide selection of historical photographs, postcards, entertainment memorabilia, and visual curiosities spanning the mid-nineteenth through twentieth centuries. Every lot is offered completely without reserve, ensuring that each item sells to the highest bidder regardless of price. Combined purchases totaling $500 or more qualify for free shipping, providing collectors an added incentive to bid across multiple lots. The unreserved format creates opportunities for both new and experienced collectors to acquire unusual and historically interesting material.
Michael Lehr Antiques info@michaellehrantiques.com
Lot 123

Comic Eating Scene Cabinet Card Chicago 1888

Estimate: $50 - $400
Starting Bid
$10

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $10
$200 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$20,000 $2,000
Cabinet card photograph showing two men in theatrical costume seated together while eating food from their hands in an exaggerated comic pose. One man wears a tall hat while the other wears a fez-style cap, and both lean toward one another while chewing and holding pieces of food, creating a staged humorous scene.

Props including trunks, baskets, a wrapped bundle, and picnic items appear in the foreground, suggesting a travel or picnic narrative typical of novelty studio photographs produced for entertainment or theatrical promotion. One trunk bears the marking “Booth & Barrett Co.”

The mount reads “Extra Finish – 1888 – Negatives Preserved – 182 Wabash Ave., Chicago.” A handwritten name appears below the image reading “McDonald.” The reverse carries the pencil note “Mrs. J. T. Force & Vroom.” Cabinet card photograph, Chicago studio, dated 1888.

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Spend $500 or more at our auction and all of your SHIPPING IS FREE, buyers to pay insurance if they want it.