Michael Lehr Antiques
Live Auction

Fall Photographic History Auction, 2025

Sat, Sep 6, 2025 01:00PM EDT
  2025-09-06 13:00:00 2025-09-06 13:00:00 America/New_York Michael Lehr Michael Lehr : Fall Photographic History Auction, 2025 https://auction.michaellehrantiques.com/auctions/michael-lehr-antiques/fall-photographic-history-auction-2025-20189
We are pleased to announce our next auction, featuring approximately 200 individual lots drawn from a diverse and compelling range of 19th- and early 20th-century photography. This sale focuses on vernacular images, photographs created not as formal studio portraits or elite commissions, but as direct, unscripted records of lived experience. These are objects made by and for everyday people, preserving moments of intimacy, labor, travel, performance, identity, and loss.
Michael Lehr Antiques info@michaellehrantiques.com
Lot 147

Germania Rifles Cabinet Card by John A. Winberg, San Francisco

Estimate: $200 - $300
Starting Bid
$100

Bid Increments

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Cabinet card portrait of a uniformed militia member identified as belonging to the Germania Rifles, 2nd Regiment, Company D, an ethnic German-American military organization active in post-Civil War era California. The subject stands at attention in full dress uniform with epaulettes and shoulder cords, holding a long rifle. His cartridge box is worn on a belt bearing an ornate buckle, and his kepi is tilted slightly, lending a note of formality to the striking composition.

Photographed by John A. Winberg of San Francisco, whose imprint appears on the verso with addresses at 650–652 Washington Street and 806 Kearny. The studio backdrop of painted architecture and landscape, combined with the classical pedestal bearing figurines, reinforces the patriotic and aspirational tone of the image. The Germania Rifles were one of many ethnic volunteer militias that emerged in American cities after the Civil War, often serving ceremonial, civic, and state defense functions. This portrait offers a rare glimpse into their distinctive uniforms and regional pride.

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