A late nineteenth century (1880s to '90s) cabinet photograph and a miniature photo of the same image. The image is of two men sitting at a table. They both hold cuttings of plants. One holds his plant cutting up as though showing it off. The plant is apparently the reason for the photograph being taken. This sort of photograph that tells a story which has been lost to time always leaves open for speculation the details of the story. Why would someone want to have their picture taken with plants? The answer logically could be that they had a connection to the plants. They probably grew the plants from seed. They could be farmers who are proud of their product. They could be herbalists. Perhaps they were business partners and grew grain or something else of which they were proud.

The cabinet photo measures 6 1/2" by 4 1/4". Its condition can be seen in the accompanying photo. There are no maker's names printed on the cabinet which has a blank back.The image in the cabinet photo is a little faded. There is a bit of wear to three of the four corners and there is damage to the emulsion in the lower right front corner that measures about 1/2" by 1 1/4".

The miniature photo measures 1 5/8" by 2 3/8". On the back of the miniature is printed: "Miniature Card Photos. Send your Cabinet and get 12 Miniatures for 25 cent Postal Money Order. Wrap Picture with heavy wrapper and enclose 1 cent stamp for return postage. NO TINTYPES COPIED. W. T. Temple & Co. Trenton, N.J., U.S.A. P.O. Box 495."

Perhaps a miniature card photo such as this was used as a business card. The condition of the miniature can be seen in the accompanying image. There is a 5/16" long scratch in the emulsion that can be seen as a white mark in our online photo. The scratch goes from one shoulder of the man on the left to just below his elbow. There is also a tiny surface pinprick in the shadowed area below the table. Otherwise the condition of the image in the miniature is excellent with great contrast and sharpness. It was obviously copied from the larger cabinet when the cabinet still had its original contrast and sharpness.

We guarantee this item to be original as described & we offer a full & prompt refund if you are not satisfied & if the item is returned in the same condition within 3 days of receipt. If you have any additional questions please don't hesitate to ask.

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