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 599

Real Photo Postcard, Iced Pier in Winter, Michigan City, Indiana

Estimate: $100 - $200
Starting Bid
$50

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

Two photographers stand at tripod-mounted cameras beneath a massive ice-encrusted pier in Michigan City, Indiana, the inscription on the image face reading "In Winter / Mich. City, / Ind. / T.M." The real photo postcard format and undivided-back style with a plain "POST CARD" imprint suggest a date in the early twentieth century, consistent with the subject matter and the initials T.M. as a possible photographer credit. Industrial smokestacks and a vessel are visible across the frozen water in the background.

The pier's wooden support posts are entirely transformed by accumulated lake ice, each column swollen into bulbous formations with long curtains and icicle fringes hanging from the overhead railing structure. Both figures wear heavy dark overcoats and caps appropriate to the extreme winter conditions, and a small dog is visible at the far left on the snow-covered surface below. The overcast sky and flat gray light reinforce the severity of the scene.

Michigan City's lakefront pier on Lake Michigan was a recurring subject for winter ice photography during this period, and images of this subject were produced and sold as souvenirs and postcards by local photographers. The initials T.M. inscribed on the image have not been conclusively attributed.

The reverse bears a printed "POST CARD" imprint with a Cyko stamp box, a penciled price notation of "5.00," and a handwritten catalog notation reading "2-89 SF-RF" along the right edge.

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