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c.1880s – CDV OF YOUNG BOY LIFTING DUMBBELL · PARISIAN SCHOOL OF PHOTOGRAPHY, LONDON
RARE VICTORIAN CHILDHOOD IMAGE · CURIOUS STRONGMAN POSE · UNUSUAL SUBJECT
Original carte-de-visite (CDV), featuring a studio photograph of a young boy in simple attire holding a dumbbell aloft — possibly in imitation of a circus strongman. Undated but likely early-to-mid 1880s. The studio is clearly identified as the Parisian School of Photography, with branches at 131 Fleet Street and 246 Old Kent Road, London. Studio logo and typography are printed on both sides of the card.
The image is visually curious and highly unusual, showing a small boy posed with confidence and props more typically associated with athletic display or vaudeville. It may indicate a connection to a travelling troupe or theatrical background — or could be part of a themed Victorian studio series mimicking the then-popular strongman aesthetic.
About the Studio:
The Parisian School of Photography was established in London in 1861, and operated into the 1890s. Despite its name, it was a British-run studio — likely adopting the \'Parisian\' title to capitalise on the fashionable continental association with taste and art. It advertised \"Under Distinguished Patronage\", and examples of its CDVs are now relatively scarce, particularly with subjects beyond conventional portraiture.
Condition:
Photograph in fair only condition. Image somewhat faded and surface shows scattered pale marks (possibly light foxing or age-related emulsion spotting). Still, the rarity and curiosity of the composition offer considerable visual interest to collectors of early photography or circus ephemera.
Summary:
- Photographic Process: Albumen print on photographer\'s card (CDV)
- Studio: Parisian School of Photography, 131 Fleet Street and 246 Old Kent Road, London
- Size: Standard carte-de-visite (approx. 10.3 x 6.3 cm)
- Date: Circa 1880s
- Subject: Boy with dumbbell, possibly theatrical or strongman-themed
A delightful — and slightly eccentric — survival from the golden age of Victorian studio photography.
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