Three-quarter view albumen CDV seated studio portrait. Abingdon, Illinois: Johnston's Art Gallery, ca 1870s. Photographer's imprint to mount verso.

This striking three-quarter length studio occupational portrait, likely a self-portrait of the studio proprietor, Johnston, depicts a bearded gentleman seated with his legs crossed, proudly holding a compact wooden box camera in his lap. The camera is fitted with a knurled brass barrel lens with cap and thumb-screw adjustment mechanism. A small studio lamp rests on a draped table at left, with an oval wall frame visible in the upper background.

Occupational cartes de visite depicting photographers holding the physical tools of their trade - particularly portable field or compact studio cameras - are highly prized, providing a direct visual testament to 19th-century photographic practice. Johnston was active as a commercial portraitist and view photographer from the Civil War era through the early 1880s, producing cartes de visite, cabinet cards, and local Knox County stereoviews.

[Occupational Photography, Photographer with Camera, Studio Camera, Brass Lens, Field Camera, Abingdon Illinois, Knox County Illinois, Johnstons Art Gallery, CDV, Carte de Visite, 19th Century Photography, Early Photographic Equipment, Studio Portrait, Midwest Photography]

Very good condition. The albumen print displays warm sepia tones, tack-sharp focal clarity, and only minimal surface toning. The mount is rigid and untrimmed.