Two men in tall hats stand behind a hand-cranked machine against a brick wall. The long-bearded man at left holds the crank; his companion tips a large wicker basket above the hopper. A wooden barrel lies on its side in the foreground.
The apparatus has a flared hopper, exposed gearing and pulleys, and a broad curved chute within an open frame decorated with pale ornamental lines. The men's positions suggest a demonstration arranged for the camera. Neither the machine's precise function nor its manufacturer is established by the photograph.
The printed backmark reads: “KELL, / Photographer, / Three Doors east of First National Bank, / ASHLAND, O. / FRANK JEWELL, / (Late from Cincinnati,) / Operator & Artist.” This credits Kell as photographer and Frank Jewell as operator and artist. The photograph was taken at Kell’s studio, three doors east of the First National Bank in Ashland, Ohio.
The reverse also bears the clear pencil notation “#130” above the imprint. It supplies no subject identification, and no corresponding number is visible on the front. The men and the date remain unidentified. The single photograph and supplied dimensions identify the card as a carte-de-visite.
- Medium
- CDV
- Subject
- Occupational, Outdoor Scene
- Dimensions
- 2.44 × 3.96 in (61.9 × 100.5 mm)
- Condition
- Localized surface-paper loss at the lower-left reverse corner, with an adjacent edge nick. Scattered small green marks on the front and a short scratch in the upper background. Otherwise sound, with the figures and machinery clearly legible.
- Catalogue no.
- MCDV915
Catalogue details
Location
Kell studio, three doors east of First National Bank, Ashland · Ashland, Ohio, United States
Photographed subject · Locality (town) · 70% confidence
Backmark: "KELL, Photographer, Three Doors east of First National Bank, ASHLAND, O." Town pin until the bank's 19th-century site is placed.
Source: Card imprint / studio stamp (direct)
