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 588

Real Photo Postcard, Haverhill Boys Club Woodworking Class

Estimate: $50 - $100
Starting Bid
$25

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 boys are captured at work in a woodworking shop identified by a printed sign on the wall reading "CLASS WORK / Haverhill Boys Club," placing this real photo postcard firmly within an organized youth program in Haverhill, Massachusetts. The image is an RPPC with an undivided-style back printed with "POST CARD" and standard correspondence divisions, suggesting a date in the early twentieth century. No photographer's imprint appears on the reverse.

Each boy bends intently over a wooden workbench fitted with a vise, engaged in active woodworking tasks including planing and hand-tool work. The boys wear dark wool jackets and collared shirts, and completed or in-progress wooden projects are visible on and around the benches. Tool racks mounted to the walls display hammers, chisels, and other hand tools, and finished shield-shaped wooden plaques are visible hanging near the doorway.

The Haverhill Boys Club was established in Haverhill, Massachusetts, and was part of the broader Boys Club movement in America that sought to provide structured vocational and recreational programming for working-class youth. Woodworking instruction of this kind was a common offering, intended to build practical trade skills alongside discipline and concentration.

The reverse bears the pencil inscription "Haverhill - Mass" in the upper left corner and the notation "200" in the upper right.

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