The Victorians were inveterate collectors, and German collectors tended to be very organised- so here we have a very organised boy collector, A. Raquot, and apparently his collection. Or a bunch of studio props masquerading as his collection; the family portraits lead me to discount that explanation though. In any case, a striking and very period image.
The child appears to be about 5, so he would have been in his mid-20s during the First World War, and since naval service was often a family tradition confined to the northern portions of the country, and he is wearing a German naval cap with the Imperial flag and a not-quite decipherable ship’s name, one might envisage him as a future German Imperial Naval officer. Jutland, anyone? Conjecture, conjecture, I must always beware the dangers of conjecture, but there is the seashell there-
Cabinet Card. 4.25”x6.5”. Light wear and soil, removed from an album, with glue/paper residue on the back. $60
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