This group of eight mounted photographs constitutes a cohesive early documentary record of western American and New England natural subjects, assembled across multiple formats and photographers. The two most notable items are gray-backed mounts bearing handwritten identifications: one inscribed "Prongbucks," depicting a large herd of pronghorn antelope spread across an open mountain meadow below a snow-capped range, and one inscribed "Whiskey Jacks," showing two Canada jays perched low in the snow before a dense stand of conifers. Both mounts are numbered "55" and share the same gray presentation board, suggesting they originate from the same series or collection. A penciled notation partially legible as "cutoff foreground" on the prongbucks mount indicates these were made with exhibition or publication in mind.
The remaining six photographs include: a small image on black board showing a man seated with a dog in a frontier street setting, with a wagon and clapboard buildings behind him; a gray-bordered mount depicting a rounded rock outcropping with conifers and what appears to be a mining or geological subject; a loose mount showing several magpies in snowy brush; and a sepia print of a sheep flock grazing under pine-covered hills in winter snow. The two largest pieces are horizontal Boudoir Cards printed by J. A. French of Keene, New Hampshire: one a broad panoramic view of a valley town with a horse-drawn buggy in the foreground, the other a peaceful lakeside landscape with birch trees and a distant mountain.
J. A. French was a Cheshire County, New Hampshire photographer active from 1857 to 1898, with his studio at 9 Central Square in Keene. The Canada jay, also known as the gray jay or whiskey jack, is a member of the family Corvidae. It is found in boreal forests of North America north to the tree line, and in the Rocky Mountains subalpine zone south to New Mexico and Arizona.
Reverse of the prongbucks mount is inscribed "Taken by Joseph Schmidt, March 12, 1891, Yellowstone Ranch" with catalog numbers "SS / 25458-22." The whiskey jacks mount reverse bears catalog number "25458-32." The two French Boudoir Cards carry the printed studio imprint "J. A. French, Photographer, Keene, N.H." on the reverse, with an additional retailer stamp reading "From B. A. Knight, 4 and 9 Cent Store, 9 Bridgman's Block, Keene, N.H."
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