2009.73.2
(16.51 cm HIGH x 10.79 cm WIDE)
This is an albumen print cabinet card that shows a reproduction of a portrait drawing of Yermah, a character that is associated with the legendary island of Atlantis. The image shows a man in three-quarter profile a full beard and long moustache. The man wears robes and a cloth headpiece.
Wella and Pet Anderson, a husband and wife team of spirit artists, were famous for drawings they made of the departed while in a trance. Although they were often commissioned by individuals or families to paint likenesses of departed loved ones, they also engaged in portraiture of ancient seers, mystics and conquerors. The five portraits here, photographed by veteran San Francisco photographer William Shew, are from an exhibition the Andersons held at the Pacific Art Union. The prominent copyright notices printed on each cabinet photo indicate the images were sold to the general public. These photographs are good examples of the breadth and diversity of imagery that nineteenth century photographers were called upon to produce.