Portrait of Young Man

Photograph

-

The Recorded Image Project

Name/Title

Portrait of Young Man

Entry/Object ID

RE-PH-2026-0060

Description

Sepia-toned albumen or early gelatin silver print mounted on cream cabinet card stock with decorative scalloped (serrated) top edge. Front features embossed decorative border.

Photograph Details

Type of Photograph

Cabinet Card

Category

1900's, Early Edwardian, man

Made/Created

Studio

Valley S. Otto

Date made

1895 - 1905

Time Period

Victorian

Place

* Untyped Place

Pennsylvania

Notes

Photographer: Valley S. Otto Portraitist Kittanning, Pennsylvania 👔 Neckwear Small patterned tie (likely silk) Compact knot Collar still relatively high but not exaggerated Victorian wing height 🧥 Jacket Short lounge sack coat Narrow lapels Button stance slightly higher than later Edwardian cuts 💇 Hair Neatly side-parted Close-cropped Flattened styling typical pre-1910 📐 Mount Design The ornate typography and advertising style on the reverse strongly reflect the decorative commercial design popular between 1890–1905. The serrated top edge was fashionable in cabinet mounts during the mid-to-late 1890s.

Ethnography

Notes

This is a formal bust portrait of a young adult male, possibly late teens to early twenties. He wears: Dark wool sack coat High detachable collar Patterned tie Clean-shaven face The styling suggests: Middle-class respectability Possibly a milestone portrait (coming of age, first employment, or school completion) His expression is serious but soft — very typical of turn-of-the-century portrait etiquette.

Condition

Overall Condition

Very Good

Date Examined

Feb 14, 2026

Notes

Even sepia fade Minor foxing Slight mount toning No severe cracking visible

General Notes

Note Type

Description

Note

This late nineteenth-century cabinet portrait depicts a young man in a dark wool sack coat and high detachable collar, attire characteristic of the turn of the twentieth century. Produced by Valley S. Otto of Kittanning, Pennsylvania, the ornate mount and elaborate advertising on the reverse reflect the flourishing small-town portrait studios that documented emerging middle-class identity in America’s industrial regions.

Create Date

February 14, 2026