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 580

Stereoviews, Panama Canal Officials, American Scenery, 5 Cards

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
A group of five stereoviews spanning two publishers and multiple subjects, with three issued by Keystone View Company and two by an unidentified publisher under the "American Scenery" series imprint on yellow mounts. The three Keystone examples bear catalog numbers H201, H200, and 854 respectively, and their printed captions identify General William Gorgas as Sanitary Chief of the Canal, Colonel Goethals in Charge of the Panama Canal, and what appears to be the White House exterior. The two yellow-mount American Scenery cards carry captions reading "James W. Wallach and Family" and a second showing mounted horsemen in a wooded setting.

The Gorgas card shows a white-haired man seated at a large desk in a wood-paneled office, with papers spread across the surface and his hands resting on the arms of his chair. The Goethals card depicts a heavyset man in a dark suit reviewing documents while seated at a cluttered desk surrounded by shelved books and stacked papers. The White House card presents a neoclassical facade behind an iron fence framed by overhanging trees. The Wallach family card shows a group of figures arranged near a horizontal railing, while the horsemen card captures two riders on pale horses moving through a bare-branched landscape.

William Crawford Gorgas served as Chief Sanitary Officer during the construction of the Panama Canal, overseeing the elimination of yellow fever and malaria from the Canal Zone, a contribution widely credited as essential to the project's success. Colonel George Washington Goethals served as Chief Engineer and later first Governor of the Canal Zone, completing the waterway in 1914.

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