Bidspirit auction | Late 19th Century Scraps and

Late 19th Century Scraps and Snaps Photo Album Gerard Family of Elmira New York - This antique Victorian-era photograph album, titled Scraps and Snaps, documents the Gerard family of Elmira, New York. The album features a brown textured cover with embossed and gilded decorative motifs. The upper section displays an eagle with outspread wings above a frame containing the word SCRAPS, while the lower section depicts a seated bulldog above a frame containing the word SNAPS. The interior consists of heavy black paper leaves containing an assortment of 19th-century photographic formats including Cabinet Cards and Cartes-de-Visite. The collection primarily focuses on the Gerard family, who immigrated to the United States in 1871 from Alsace-Lorraine and Baden. A significant full-length Cabinet Card features a gentleman in an elaborate military-style dress uniform, complete with a plumed chapeau de bras, ceremonial sash, belt with decorative buckle, and sword. This portrait bears the photographer mark for Howe, Elmira, NY. Other identified photographers include Whitley, 303 R.R. Ave. Elmira N.Y. The album includes several family group portraits and individual studio portraits of men, women, and children in period attire. Accompanying the photographs are various pieces of ephemera, including handwritten genealogical notes and an envelope addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Richard Gerard and Family. Transcribed notes identify Jacob Gerard from Alsace Lorraine and another relative from Hinspach, Baden, Germany, both arriving in the U.S. in 1871. Specific names mentioned in the notes include Mary, Annie, and Christina. The album shows significant age-related wear and damage. There is a major loss of cover material at the upper spine corner, exposing the interior binding structure. The covers exhibit general scuffing, edge wear, and surface marks. Interior pages show typical age-toning and wear at the corners. The photographs are in varied condition, with some exhibiting minor silvering, foxing, and fading consistent with 19th-century chemical processes. Several images have been remounted using modern black adhesive photo corners.