Old West & Native American Auction
Lot 1462:
Description
This is a beautiful collection of late 19th-to-early 20th-century family history, centered around a stunning Victorian photo album. The album itself is bound in a deep red velvet, brass clasp (missing latch). This style of album, designed for carte de visite (CDV) and cabinet card photographs, dates it firmly to the 1880s-1900s. The interior pages feature cut-out windows with gold-stamped borders, displaying studio portraits of men and women in period attire, suggesting ties to Illinois (Pekin, Bloomington, and Chicago studios are visible on some cards, such as “Donley & Donley” in Bloomington and “Knecht” in Chicago). One page features a “In Loving Remembrance” memorial card for “Charles Bussmann,” further anchoring the collection to a specific family. The lot also includes a pair of stylish brown leather, high-top lace-up boots, typical of the late Victorian or Edwardian era, and a set of gold-filled or rolled gold pince-nez spectacles on a chain, which would have been clipped to the lapel or waistcoat. The photos themselves are in fair to good condition, with some showing typical aging, fading, and foxing, particularly on the mount boards and album pages. The album’s spine appears intact, but the interior paper pages show brittle edges, tears, and heavy discoloration from age and environmental factors. The boots show wear consistent with age, including creasing and some scuffing. The pince-nez glasses appear structurally sound with a tarnished chain. The overall collection is a wonderful snapshot of a Midwestern family. H 12″, W 10″, D 3″. See photos. From the Western display in Donley’s Wild West Town.
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