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 581

Stereoviews, Kimberley Diamond Mines, South Africa, lot of 7

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 $5,000
$10,000 $1,000
$20,000 $2,000
$50,000 $5,000
Seven stereoviews document diamond mining operations in Kimberley and Johannesburg, South Africa, published primarily by Keystone View Company and Underwood and Underwood, with one card bearing an unidentified imprint. The views date to the late nineteenth or early twentieth century based on publisher activity and subject matter consistent with the Kimberley mining boom era. Subjects across the group include aerial pit views, mine tunnel entrances, townscapes, and workers at tailings operations.

Individual cards depict miners standing alongside ore carts at a rock-face tunnel entrance, a panoramic overhead view of the massive Kimberley open pit, a broad townscape with low industrial structures extending to the horizon, and a group of workers sorting material beneath a large structural arch at what the caption identifies as the Johannesburg mines. Publisher imprints are visible along the vertical edges of each card in the standard gray-mount format.

Keystone View Company and Underwood and Underwood were among the dominant commercial stereoview publishers of the period, each maintaining extensive catalogued series on international industrial and geographical subjects. The Kimberley diamond fields were among the most frequently documented mining subjects in the global stereoview market following the De Beers consolidation of the 1880s.

Captions printed on the mounts reference Kimberley, Transvaal, and Johannesburg, South Africa, with catalog numbers visible on several cards including 581, 16, 9, 8, and 5834.

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