June First Friday at the Tehachapi Museum: Victorian 'Cabinet Cards' to be on display for Father's Day

On June 1, the Tehachapi Museum will be open from 5 to 8 p.m. for the First Friday Art Walk. Along with other downtown venues, the Museum and will be offering appetizers, desserts, and champagne for guests. This month's food and beverage is being provided by the Kiwanis Club and their members will be on hand to assist for the evening.

A small exhibit of Victorian cabinet cards will be on display through June. The collection was assembled by Bill Reed and all feature men in their finery, the photographs having been produced in studios and typical of the formal poses of the period. Bill has concentrated on male portraits because of his interest in costuming and the subjects are shown dressed in their finery and showing their well-groomed hairstyles, beards, and moustaches of the time. The exhibit is a tribute to the fathers of that time period.

The cabinet cards produced at that time were not only of men, but of varied family figures including groups of children, women, babies, and even dogs. The photos are mounted on thick cards, sometimes with beveled edges and were meant to be collected and displayed in cabinets and were introduced in the 1860s. The front of the card is usually printed or embossed with the photographer's details. The popularity of the cabinet card waned around the turn of the century, particularly after the introduction of the photographic postcard, but they were still being produced until the First World War began.

A continuing exhibit features a colorful collection of insulators that were attached to telegraph and electricity poles. Glass, porcelain, and other materials are used because they are non-conducting. The collection on exhibit was collected by Natasha and Evan McTyre and contains some unusual examples, from several inches to almost a foot in height, ranging from porcelain to multicolored glass.

In the Family Case, there is family tree of John Anthony, who emigrated from Greece to Tehachapi in the early 1900s. He and his wife Angie had four children. In addition to family photos, the exhibit includes articles from the Tehachapi Fire Department, of which his son, Tony Anthony, was Fire Chief for 40 years.

Other displays on local history can be viewed, along with the history of the Kawaiisu, the local Native Americans in the Milano Gallery. In addition to First Friday, the Museum and Errea House Museum are open on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 12 to 4 p.m. For more information call (661) 822-8152.

Gallery 'N' Gifts is now booking Featured Artist of the Month for 2019 and 2020. Our featured artists will have an article about them and their work in the local papers, on our Facebook page, and a First Friday opening night reception, in addition to hanging their work for sale in our gallery.

For more information and to book your month please call Michelle Miller at (661) 972-2519.