Michael Lehr Antiques
Live Auction

June 2026 Vernacular Photo History Auction

Wed, Jun 24, 2026 11:00AM EDT
Lot 349

Memorial Mourning Card, Levi C. Tenney, 1895

Estimate: $50 - $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
Levi C. Tenney is commemorated on this cabinet card-format memorial mourning card produced following his death on December 3, 1895, at the age of 53 years, 6 months, and 1 day. The card is printed on black stock with gold and white ink throughout, conforming to Victorian mourning conventions common in the final decade of the nineteenth century. No photographer's imprint appears on the reverse.

The front face is organized with a gold ornamental border featuring draped tassels along the sides and a decorative fringe banner at the base. A central vignette depicts a soldier in uniform standing before an American flag and a memorial monument inscribed "Memorial to Our Fallen Heroes," with the text "We Honor the Dead" overlaid in white lettering. Above the name panel, an elaborate gold crest incorporating a shield, wings, and foliate scrollwork anchors the composition.

An eight-line mourning verse addressed to a father occupies the lower panel, reading in full: "Oh, father, thy gentle voice is hushed, / Thy warm, true heart is still; / And on thy pale and peaceful face / Is resting death's cold chill. / Thy hands are clasped upon thy breast, / We have kissed thy marble brow, / And in our aching hearts we know / We have no father now."

The plain reverse carries no printed imprint. A handwritten notation reading "1" appears in the upper right corner.

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