A 1920s little boy with the rouged lips. RPPC. Private Collection.
“When I grow up, I want to be Rudolph Valentino!” Look at this mini gentleman…What a cute close-up portrait of this boy, and with the rouged lips. Though I knew the practice was common for mass marketed postcards, mostly of romance couples and actors, this is the first time I see this done to a child on a regular portrait picture. Maybe he did work as a postcard model.
RPPC: AZO 1918-1930
1890s-1900s well dressed Edwardian boy. Cabinet card. Private Collection.
This little boy was extremely well dressed with his wool overcoat and cap with the double-breasted gingham suit. Every single piece of his outfit looks new. With the lack of backdrop and the picture looking so crisp, it feels modern made too.
He’s wearing his gloves instead of holding them. His parents must have loved how this portrait came out. While the photograph was decently preserved, the card itself is less so. It is dark green, clipped at the bottom, and has no photographer info or name.
4″ x 6″ 1930s portrait of boy with the tinted cheeks. Private Collection.
A beautiful large cabinet photo portrait of a bright looking boy with freckles. This picture came in a large mat protected by flaps. No photographer logo, unfortunately. I was not expecting to see hand tinted cheeks and lips on a portrait from the 30s but apparently it was still a feature photographers offered. His hair cut with the close cropped sides was very popular in his time, along with the pointy collar.
Carl E. Brown. Moulton. Fitchburg. Mass. Cabinet card. Private Collection.
No matter, it’s still a great portrait.
I found Carl E. Brown on a 1920 census. He was born in Illinois circa 1879 and lived in Lunenburg, MA, a tiny little town right next to tiny little town Fitchburg where this picture was taken. Fitchburg and Lunenburg are about 40 miles west from Boston. He went on to marry a lady named Georgia M. from Vermont. With her he had two children, Thelma born in 1902 and Carl E. born in 1904.
This picture was taken when Carl was around twelve or thirteen in the early 1890s.
And finally, I get a cabinet card with an elaborate design on the back with lovely flower patterns and a camera vignette.
C.J. Moulton. Artistic Photography. Fitchburg, Mass.
Boy in dirty shirt. 2″ 1/2 x 3″ 1/5 snapshot. Private Collection.
A peppy boy from the 30’s or 40’s who posed in his dirty shirt, probably for a school picture. His eyes sparkle with life, and if his shirt is any indication there wasn’t a spot he didn’t crawl under or climbed above in his neighborhood. A very beautiful portrait.
Bowlers And High Collars 