Specializing in postcards and antique photographs

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Mary Dolly Allen Collins - Old Cabinet Photo


Someone wrote a fair amount of information about the woman in this picture.  I've edited the picture a bit for this post, but you can see the whole thing on our eBay store.  Just go to the store & do a search on Mary Dolly Allen.

This is an early cabinet photo, possibly as early as the 1850s, certainly no later than the 1860s.  Its always possible we could be mistaken about the date, but we're getting a lot of experience with these things, and that's what we believe.  It is not in great shape.  There is a lot of foxing - little spots you can especially see on the front, and someone has trimmed this up greatly, and unevenly.

On the front, written in pencil, is "Mary Dolly Allen, married Collins. "

On back, also in pencil is the following information: "Think this is great-grandmother Archambeault's mother when young.  Mary Dolly Allen, married a Collins, lived in VT.  Came to Utica on a farm.  Great-grandmother was Harriet Jane Collins."

I don't know when this information was written down, and there is always the possibility that it is wrong. It is a lot more information than we usually get on these pictures. We did a tiny bit of research and we believe Mary Dolly Allen Collins died in January 1886, but we didnt really take it much further. 

But this is the way she looked 150-160 years ago, when she was younger and stronger and her death was still in the distance. 

I wonder how many decades it has been since anyone said her name aloud or thought about her.  I'm sure she'd be extremely surprised to know that I somehow ended up with her picture.

Monday, August 16, 2010

A Little US Automotive History

This picture is an interesting little snapshot of people on (and in) an old car.  The people's clothing look very 1920's to me.

And it's not just any old car - this is an early Pontiac.  The writing on back says "Pontiac, Chief of the Sixes, Oakland Tampa Co., Tampa, Fla.

Pontiac orginated as the Oakland Car Company in Pontiac, Michigan in 1907, and was bought by General Motors in 1909.  Oakland introduced the Pontiac model in 1926, and as it was powered by a six cylinder engine, they dubbed it "Chief of the Sixes".   The car was popular, and the Oakland name was phased out in favor of Pontiac.

Click on the title to go to the listing, if you're interested.