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 547

Stereoview, First Cabin in Yosemite, La Mon's, C W Woodward

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

A rustic log cabin identified in the printed caption as the first cabin in Yosemite, La Mon's, occupies the center of this albumen stereoview published by C. W. Woodward of Rochester, New York, under his California and Colorado series. The card carries the orange-bordered mount distinctive to Woodward's Western views, and the caption printed below the left image reads "570. FIRST CABIN IN YOSEMITE, LA MON'S." A figure is seated or standing near the cabin entrance in the right frame, partially obscured by the surrounding clutter.

The log cabin features a steeply pitched board roof with a stone chimney emitting visible smoke, indicating active occupation at the time of exposure. Clothing or canvas hangs from the cabin's front wall, and the foreground is strewn with lumber scraps, wooden sawhorses, iron cooking vessels, and a bucket, conveying a working frontier encampment rather than a finished dwelling. Tall conifers and deciduous trees fill the background beneath an open sky.

La Mon's cabin is historically associated with Stephen M. Lamon (also spelled La Mon), one of the earliest permanent settlers in Yosemite Valley, who operated a tourist accommodation in the valley during the 1860s and 1870s. His rough log structure was a recognized landmark for early visitors to the valley during that period.

The printed series number 570 and caption appear below the left view on the mount face.

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