A Collection of Thirteen Cabinet Cards of the Shepard Family Band. V.p., ca. 1880s-1890s.
Mostly New England: Various Photographers, 1880s-1890s. Cabinet cards measuring 6 ½ x 4 ¼ inches. Various settings, showing the band members posed with their instruments including banjos, violins, trumpets, drum, and tubas. Varying wear, but generally very good with some normal age-related fading. Very Good. Item #List1620
Originally from Lawrenceville, New York, the Shepard Family Band toured throughout the Northeast in the 1880s and 1890s, eventually settling in South Royalton, Vermont. All members of the family were apparently musically inclined: “In addition to Minnie (mother and matriarch Mary “Minnie” Shepard), and her husband, patriarch James Monroe Shepard, all of the children were pressed into service. Daughter Laura Belle, the ‘violiniste,’ was getting better all the time, under the instruction of a ‘competent master.’ (Her fans “will be astonished at the improvement in style, tone and expression.”) It was said of little Lessie that, ‘Among lady cornetists she has no equal.’ The darling little son of the family, Master Burtie, could not help but please, for he was well-known to be, ‘The youngest Tuba soloist in the world; only nine years of age; scarcely larger than the instrument he plays.’ He was also a ‘clever comedian, singer and character artist.” The baby, little Flossie, “a sweet little miss of four summers,’ was said to be a “wonderful mimic and impersonator…a veritable little fairy.’ Daughters Kittie and Georgia were also part of the troupe.” - Henry Sheldon Museum. A very nice collection.
Price: $1,250.00