Cowboy Cabinet Card Photos 1880s L A Huffman originals Miles City Montana Rare

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Cowboy Cabinet Card Photos 1880s L A Huffman originals Miles City Montana Rare:
$28500.00

These LA Huffman 1880s Original Contact Prints "Spring Roundup" Series Cabinet Cards are a unique set of 25 black and white photograph prints capturing the Western, working life, animals, and history of the 1880s. Huffman was one of the first Wild West lensmen to capture action photos of roundup activities, most taken from his saddle. The cards measure approximately 4.25”x 5.25” and the affixed image measures approximately 3-5/8 by 4-5/8”. They are in remarkable condition for being around 140 years old. 22 of the cards are gold gilded edged and were meant for sale from the studio or by catalog, and 3 of the cards I believe to be from Huffmans studio set that were never meant to be sold to the general public because they don’t have the gilded edges and have catalog numbers and Huffmans studio stamps on the adverse. I believe the numbering to be in Huffmans hand writing but am not so sure about the titles on the backs of the others. There are tape marks on the three studio prints from being hung up at one point reinforcing my belief these were from the studio for production and not for sale. The hand written lettering matches that of the catalog copy I received from corresponding with a serious collector and historian Gene Allen of Montana who specialized in LA Huffman photography. The catalog copy can be found in my listing photos along with a paper Gene wrote many years ago when he was still buying and collecting Huffman pieces. Only the 25 contact prints are for sale, the copy of the catalog and paper written are not for sale and only for reference to help in connecting the dots. You will never find another larger set like this in this condition, there are only a few near complete sets known to exist in private collections consisting of 35 or 36 cards. No complete sets of 40 are known of. Not even the Montana Historical society has these contact prints. All or most of these photos were probably taken around the Miles City area in Montana Territory in the 1880s or early 1890s after Montana had achieved statehood. Please read the description of these contact prints and the mystery behind them in one of my last photos listed.