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 108

Stereoview African American Black Peanut Vendor Woman

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
An unidentified Black woman poses with her vendor's wares in this close-up albumen stereoview, the yellow-mount reverse inscribed in manuscript "Peanut Woman." The image belongs to a genre of Reconstruction-era studio portraits depicting Black street vendors and tradeswomen that were produced as commercial stereoviews for the parlor market, occupying an uneasy position between documentary record and staged genre entertainment. No photographer's imprint is visible on the plain yellow mount.

The woman sits facing slightly left with a warm, self-possessed expression, wearing a white head wrap, a fringed white shawl over a dark dress, and a checked skirt. She holds a short-handled whisk broom or bundle of grain stalks upright in her right hand and balances a decorated tray across her lap holding what appears to be peanuts or small goods for sale. A wicker basket containing a tin cup and wrapped goods sits on a round stool or barrel at her left, completing the full portrait of a street vendor at work.

The yellow mount and close framing are consistent with the early to mid 1870s stereoview format popular in the American South and along the Eastern Seaboard, where vendor portraits of Black women were among the most widely circulated genre subjects of the Reconstruction period. The reverse carries only the pencil inscription "Peanut Woman" with no publisher or photographer identification.

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