Michael Lehr Antiques
Live Auction

June 2026 Vernacular Photo History Auction

Wed, Jun 24, 2026 11:00AM EDT
  2026-06-24 11:00:00 2026-06-24 11:00:00 America/New_York Michael Lehr Michael Lehr : June 2026 Vernacular Photo History Auction https://auction.michaellehrantiques.com/auctions/michael-lehr-antiques/june-2026-vernacular-photo-history-auction-23574
Our June 2026 auction presents a focused and exceptional selection of historical photographs spanning the 1840s through the early twentieth century, with unusual depth in named subjects, rare formats, and documented provenance anchored by strong vernacular material that rewards close looking.
Michael Lehr Antiques info@michaellehrantiques.com
Lot 544

Signed Silver Print, Eddie Cantor in Blackface, White Studio NY

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 $5,000
$10,000 $1,000
$20,000 $2,000
$50,000 $5,000
Eddie Cantor is shown in full blackface minstrel makeup and performance costume in this large gelatin silver promotional print by White Studio, New York, circa 1917 to 1925, signed in ink on the image surface "To Robert / Best Wishes / Eddie Cantor." The photograph is of a type documented in the Library of Congress holdings and consistent with promotional prints distributed during Cantor's peak Broadway and vaudeville years. The White Studio photographer's credit appears at lower left on the image, and the studio's stamp is visible on the reverse.

Cantor stands with both hands on his hips in a wide-legged pose, facing the camera with an exaggerated wide-eyed expression; he wears a satin suit jacket with white french cuffs, a white dress shirt, and a loosened bow tie. The blackface makeup features the characteristic wide white mouth outline associated with minstrel performance of the period.

Known as "Banjo Eyes" for his expressive wide-set gaze and "The Apostle of Pep" for his energized physical style, Cantor was among the most prominent practitioners of the blackface minstrel tradition in American entertainment, achieving stardom across vaudeville, Broadway including the Ziegfeld Follies, film, and radio across a career of nearly four decades.

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