This is the first cabinet card in the Dobb Long Book, and wow, what a great first impression! This young woman is wearing a gorgeous dress, and with the floral embellishment on the bodice I’m guessing it might be a wedding portrait. The dress looks to be from the late 1880s when you take into consideration the asymmetrical draping of the skirt. She is holding a fan in one hand, and I find it strange that only one foot is showing. Finally, she has a lovely double strand of pearls at the throat.
The photographer was Smith & Kneibus of St. Joseph, MI. I wasn’t able to find much on this photographer, although I found one other photograph by them which has been tentatively dated to 1890.
Who Were They? 
I found some census records saying Charley Kneibus of St. Joseph, MI was a painter – Perhaps Mr(s). Smith was the photographer? Charely later became Mayor of St. Joseph (1940s).
I found a “boatload” of Dobb’s in Muskegon County, Michigan which is a long stones throw up (north) the Lake Michigan coast from St. Joseph / Benton Harbor.
This seems more… plausible to me… to have been Nina’s “home”. I’m off to learn if “Nina” is an endearment, nickname, or short for some other name in order to see if I can “find her” somewhere.
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