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 598

Photo Collage, Men as Angels in the House Satire

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
Four photographic male portrait heads mounted onto painted figures dressed as Victorian domestic maids are the subject of this hand colored photo collage, combining cut photographic portraits with gouache and ink illustration on paper. No artist's signature or photographer's imprint is visible. The pairing of male faces with maid's attire and matching badges situates the piece as satire aimed at a Victorian ideal of womanhood.

Each figure wears a starched mob cap, apron, and long sleeved dress rendered in watercolor and ink, with a black roundel reading I AM AN ANGEL in white lettering pinned to the apron front. Every figure carries a small cloth bundle, and the heads retain individualized features, including spectacles, mustaches, and a full beard, tinted pale green.

The roundel wording invokes Coventry Patmore's 1854 poem The Angel in the House, which cast the ideal Victorian woman as a pure, self sacrificing domestic caregiver. Placing recognizable men's portraits into that role reads as pointed satire of the domestic ideal, and the imagery may relate to contemporary debates over women's suffrage, though no inscription confirms that intent.

The composite measures 14 by 17 inches, with an image size of 7 by 10 inches.

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