Who Were They?

 

This gentleman is showing off some fine, white side burns, while leaving the area around his mouth clean shaven. It may be an illusion, but it looks a bit like his hair comes off his forehead in a “kewpie doll” style. Do you see that too?

The photograph can be dated to the 1890s, as the deckled edges of cabinet cards were introduced at the beginning of the decade and remained popular throughout. This person sat for his photograph in the H. F. Alley studio in Salem, MA. I found the photographer’s first name was Hiram, in a Salem Directory dated 1886, which included the surrounding towns of Beverly, Peabody, Danvers and Marblehead. The particular block – LeFavour Block – included the LeFavour Opera House, which likely would have been a popular attraction in town and probably was a good location for the photographic business.