Early Photograph from America

[Ipcress]

That's not on at all.

[icedgold10]

I think the person in your picture may be Joseph Offenbacher.  http://www.werelate.org/wiki/Person:Joseph_Offenbacher_%281%29
This person Eliezer Leo Offenbacher may be his grandson.  I would contact him and see if he recognizes the picture at http://www.carionltd.com/doc.php?st=ny&cy=brooklyn&pn=eliezer-leo-offenbacher&id=799199.  Eliezer was also Joseph's fathers name.  Joseph died in 1945 at 67 years old.  I may be way off but the last name is not common here and the information fits in with Brooklyn.

[KC]

Nice sleuthing icedgold10!!!  Good hunch!!!

gerspee, continue to post your items on this site.  That is what this site is all about...trying to help find answers.  What one person finds intriguing to search out, others may not.  That is the beauty of the forum...

Don't know what is going on with the rest of the posts above...but hope it is resolved and this forum retains the reputation and purpose it was created for...to be an enjoyable site to find out more about things from the past in a positive manner.

[gerspee]

Thanks and will ask this man if he is related . But the names are not similar in spelling . I look for Offenbach and this man is Offenbacher .  And why would you put the posers name  above your company's address without the company's name ?

So I think that the name Offenbach on the picture is the photographer who made this photo . The problem is that the photo itself has been glued on the carton . And maybe the posers name is written-on the back including the date ? Any cunning plan to release the old glue and take the picture off without damage to it ? I don;t think that wetting the carton will do the trick without any damage to the picture ?

[icedgold10]

To me it looked like a way of the photographer marking who the picture is and  where it was taken.  The company usually put their names on the front and professionally printed.   The name difference could be one of three things.  The pencil could have worn off over the years, the penmanship of some is not always legible to others and it was not uncommon to have names become a variant when moving into this country.  Either because of document errors or the person wanted to fit in better with a shorter name.  I have seen both happen.  This was around the same time my grandmother would have come here from Germany and she had issue with her name on her documents. 

[gerspee]

Found something and I think there quite lookalikes ?  What do you think ?

[icedgold10]

I had seen him too at one point.  What is the link to that picture?

[mart]

Although the look is similar,, the ears are wrong !! Bottom pics ears are smaller and set lower that the man at top !!

[greenacres]

The eyebrows are wrong too.

[icedgold10]

The eyebrows are wrong too.

Maybe he waxed them?   

[gerspee]

Made a new print from the two face together . But a similar photo off this man just with his face straight looking in to the camera  is not easy to find .  Henry James Montague  (1844-1878) is this man to look for . And then the date would be before 1878 what would be correct with the fashion on the photo ? And Offenbach as photographer would then maybe be the first one on this address ?  And hair in style and moustache in a curl could be done to make a perfect image from him ? Photo is big so must has had some costs even in that time ? 

[icedgold10]

Here is henry looking straight on,

[gerspee]

I think I need get it from the carton board  to see  there's nothing like a name written on the back off it . Already tried wit a very bright light from the back but it's to thick to shine to the front . So soaking would maybe do the trick but I don.t think the photo would survive this treatment . The photographic layer is lying on the paper and is old so ?  Any nice trick somewhere and any idea what glue was used in these days ?

[icedgold10]

Be careful with any liquid.  Very gently try to raise it with a razor blade.

[mart]

Turn the photo face down on a clean soft cloth and try a blow dryer to soften the glue from the back !! Heat sometimes works on old glue !!  Then inch it up and away from the pic little by little !!