Alan Mays' photos with the keyword: palettes

A reward of merit dated 1875. Unfortunately, the small but colorful chromolithographed scrap glued to the middle of the card isn't positioned correctly (take a look at a rotated version instead of craning your neck), but the elaborate design surrounding the scrap makes up for it. The nineteenth-century "maxim" printed on the card reminds me of the modern quip about know-it-alls: "Those who think they know everything annoy those of us who do." For another reward of merit printed by Colton, Zahm, & Roberts, see Look Up and Not Down . Golden Maxim Reward Those who know everything in general, know nothing in particular. Colton, Zahm, & Roberts, New York. Written on the back of the card: "1875, James M. Stoner."

A rotated view of this reward of merit provides a better--though still tilted--view of the chromolithographed scrap added in the middle For the original, see Those Who Know Everything in General Know Nothing in Particular .

Intended as a rocking horses photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Handwritten on the back of this cabinet card photo: "Roy Peiffer, cousin. Born about 1905." (If the name and date are correct, then this may be Roy Peiffer , 1905-1990.) Photographer: "Strunk, cabinet portraits, 730 Penn St., Reading, Pa." I've been planning all week to use this photo as my rocking horse. On Flickr, I found a similar photo that's titled "The Rocking Horse Winner" - circa 1890 Cabinet Card . It's from the same studio and shows a little boy standing beside the same horse. I was surprised and disappointed, however, when I did some more searching yesterday and discovered another cabinet photo with the horse that's for sale on a military antiques Web site. Unlike my photo and the one on Flickr, the third photo on the antiques site clearly reveals that the horse is standing on a wooden base with four wheels--there are no rockers. Since I won't have a chance to get another photo ready to post before the end of the week, I'll have to throw myself on the mercy of the court and ask the indulgence of my fellow Theme Parkers. If anyone objects to my submission of a wheeled--rather than a rocking--horse for this week's theme, I'll gladly withdraw it.

A curious photographer props (huge urns or plants, strange objects, taxidermy animals, etc.) photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. "E. M. Criswell, Grand Meadow, Minn. Extra finish." A tall bearded fellow--his appearance reminds me of Rasputin , the Russian mystic and confidant to Tsar Nicholas II--stands in front of a painted backdrop and next to an oddly shaped prop as he poses for this cabinet card photo. Is that enigmatic object supposed to look like natural or carved stone? If not, I'm not certain what it's intended to represent.

For this cabinet card back, see the full backmark illustration (above) and a detail showing the street scene in front of the photographer's gallery . -------- Although the photographer's name and address appears as "Schlickeisen, 343 Central Avenue, Jersey City, N.J.," on the front of this cabinet card, the name on the sign in the illustration on the back is spelled as "Schlickeysen" (ending in -keysen instead of -keisen). In addition, the arrangement of the street number--"343"--in the palette shapes on either side of the Art Gallery sign is curious, ending with a smaller superscript "3" that seemingly was added after the fact. Interestingly, Langdon's List of 19th & Early 20th Century Photographers provides some relevant information regarding Gustav Schlickeysen/Schlickeisen. According to Langdon, "Schlickeysen" was the spelling listed in city directories for 1888 and 1889, but during those years the photographer's address was 34 Hancock Avenue, Hoboken, New Jersey, rather than 343 Central Avenue, Jersey City, N.J. Directories for 1891, 1892, and 1893, however, indicate that "Schlickeisen" had already moved to the Central Avenue address in Hoboken. It's not clear why the spelling of Schlickeysen changed to Schlickeisen when the photographer moved from Hoboken to Jersey City. Although the new spelling appeared on the front of this cabinet card, the sign in the artwork on the back retained the old spelling. The street number, however, was updated by squeezing an extra "3" into the palette shapes to indicate the change from "34" (Hancock Avenue, Hoboken) to "343" (Central Avenue, Jersey City). If the illustration depicts the original gallery in Hoboken, however, I wonder if customers at Schlickeisen's new gallery in Jersey City were still confused by the drawing despite the updated street number. Finally, it's worth noting that a "Portrait" display case to attract potential customers is situated on the sidewalk in front of the gallery. And notice the horse-drawn tram passing by on the tracks in front of the gallery--an indication of how easy it would be to travel to the gallery.

For this cabinet card back, see the full backmark illustration and a detail showing the street scene in front of the photographer's gallery (above). -------- Although the photographer's name and address appears as "Schlickeisen, 343 Central Avenue, Jersey City, N.J.," on the front of this cabinet card, the name on the sign in the illustration on the back is spelled as "Schlickeysen" (ending in -keysen instead of -keisen). In addition, the arrangement of the street number--"343"--in the palette shapes on either side of the Art Gallery sign is curious, ending with a smaller superscript "3" that seemingly was added after the fact. Interestingly, Langdon's List of 19th & Early 20th Century Photographers provides some relevant information regarding Gustav Schlickeysen/Schlickeisen. According to Langdon, "Schlickeysen" was the spelling listed in city directories for 1888 and 1889, but during those years the photographer's address was 34 Hancock Avenue, Hoboken, New Jersey, rather than 343 Central Avenue, Jersey City, N.J. Directories for 1891, 1892, and 1893, however, indicate that "Schlickeisen" had already moved to the Central Avenue address in Hoboken. It's not clear why the spelling of Schlickeysen changed to Schlickeisen when the photographer moved from Hoboken to Jersey City. Although the new spelling appeared on the front of this cabinet card, the sign in the artwork on the back retained the old spelling. The street number, however, was updated by squeezing an extra "3" into the palette shapes to indicate the change from "34" (Hancock Avenue, Hoboken) to "343" (Central Avenue, Jersey City). If the illustration depicts the original gallery in Hoboken, however, I wonder if customers at Schlickeisen's new gallery in Jersey City were still confused by the drawing despite the updated street number. Finally, it's worth noting that a "Portrait" display case to attract potential customers is situated on the sidewalk in front of the gallery. And notice the horse-drawn tram passing by on the tracks in front of the gallery--an indication of how easy it would be to travel to the gallery.