An elegant & appealing imperial cabinet photo of a lodge member circa 1880’s-1890’s. The back of the mount has the penciled name of the lodge member which appears to read John A. But, we are not certain of the spelling of his last name. The man is wearing an especially pleasing & ornate outfit. At one shoulder on the sash is a cross. Below the cross is a horse with a flag. Below the horse is a nine pointed crest. On his cape is a large Maltese cross. At his waist are two crossed swords. Below the swords is a triangle with a human skull over two crossed bones. He is wearing a sword at his side. His feathered hat sports a circular insignia. On his garments around these decorations are twigs with leaves & flowers & there are three sections of fringe at the bottom edges. All in all probably the most exceptional & pleasing cabinet photo of a lodge member that we have ever offered for sale. On the back under the name in pencil in a different hand is the wording San Francisco, Cal. The photo was taken by the noted photographer I. Taber while he was located at his 8 Montgomery St. San Francisco, California photographic studio. The bottom border of the mat has the photographer’s marking in the embossed wording Taber 8 Montgomery St. ” The following info about Isaiah West Taber, the well known & superb photographer was found on Wikipedia: Isaiah West Taber August 17, 1830 – February 22, 1912 was an American daguerreotypist, ambrotypist, and photographer who took many pictures of noted Californians, which he donated to the California State Library “that the state may preserve the names and faces, and keep alive the memory of those who made it what it is. He was also a sketch artist and dentist. Taber was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts and between 1845 and 1849 he worked at sea on a whaler. He first moved to California in 1850. In 1871, Taber opened his own studio, where he gained fame for reproducing the photos of Carleton Watkins after Watkins went bankrupt, although the reproductions were published without credit to Watkins. In 1880, Taber made a six-week photographic trip to the Hawaiian Islands where, among other subjects, he photographed the Hawaiian King Kal? Kaua, completing a commission for three full-length portraits. The following year Kal? Kaua visited Taber’s studio in San Francisco. Kaua (in 1881) and may have been the source of some views of Japan included in Taber’s stock. By the 1890s, Taber had expanded his operations to include studios in London, England and elsewhere in Europe. However, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake destroyed his San Francisco studio, gallery, and negative collection, ending his photographic career. This large imperial cabinet photo measures 8 3/8 inches by 5 3/16 inches. There is slight age soiling & there are some small insignificant brown age spots on the mount. There is a very thin ink line at 2 o’clock on the background. At the 5:30 position on the lower background there is a slightly dirty 1/4 inch by 1/32 inch scratch on the floor. The reference number for this item is #5097. Is an estimate and the actual cost may differ. International Buyers – Please Note.