This photograph is part of a much larger and wonderfully eclectic collection of antique and vintage photographs and ephemera acquired in Europe.
Up for sale is an original large-format cabinet card photograph of Bliss Electrical School students posed on church steps, identified in period cursive inscription on the lower mount: “Bliss Electrical School Students at Church 1913 — Takoma Park, Wash. D.C.”
The Bliss Electrical School was founded on October 15, 1893 by Dr. Louis D. Bliss, starting with only 26 students before quickly growing in size and notoriety. By 1913 — the precise date of this photograph — Takoma Park was the largest city in Montgomery County, Maryland and the Bliss school had established itself as one of the most prestigious technical institutions in the Washington area. Its alumni included Charles Francis Jenkins, an engineer who contributed to the invention of the television, and W.B. Connelly, an inspector for General Electric who oversaw two miles of switchboard installations for the Panama Canal. Just four years after this photograph was taken, the school would be contracted by the U.S. War Department to develop an intensive electrical training course for Army recruits — a program eventually adopted by colleges throughout the country.
The photograph shows approximately 30 young men in suits and ties arranged in four rows on the steps of a clapboard church, with a faculty member or administrator standing prominently in the center foreground. The Library of Congress holds glass negative photographs of the Bliss Electrical School from this same period, dating the institution’s documentary photographic record to between 1910 and 1926 — confirming the historical significance of Bliss School imagery from this era. The school ultimately merged with Montgomery College in 1950, which today occupies the same Takoma Park campus.
This photograph predates both the school’s WWI military training program and its later expansion, capturing the student body at a moment of civilian normalcy just before the war years transformed the institution entirely. A compelling piece for collectors of Washington DC history, early American technical education, or Takoma Park local history.
Overall mount size approximately 12 x 10 inches; image approximately 9 x 7 inches on grey embossed card mount. Period cursive inscription on lower mount. Some wear and tear to mount corners and edges consistent with age; image clear with good tonal range. Guaranteed old and original.
Item details, identification, and historical context are based on the seller’s personal research and best judgment. The buyer is responsible for independent verification of all attributions. The seller makes no warranties beyond the guarantee that this is a genuine antique photograph.
The lower right corner of the print bears the catalog number 249, consistent with the numbering systems used by prominent commercial studios of the era operating in Cairo and Alexandria — among them Zangaki, Bonfils, and Abdullah Frères. While the photographer remains unattributed, the quality of composition, lighting, and printing is exceptional and reflects the work of a skilled professional studio. The subject — a dignified blind elder with the boys gathered around him — carries a quiet, contemplative power that transcends its origins as a commercial tourist print and makes it a genuinely compelling piece of 19th century documentary and fine art photography.
Large-format albumen prints from this period and region are increasingly sought after by collectors of Orientalist photography, Victorian travel imagery, and African and Middle Eastern history.
Measurements: Approximately 8.5 x 10.5 inches overall (mounted)
Condition: Overall good condition. Mounted print showing normal wear consistent with age, storage, and handling. Please examine all provided photos carefully, as they form an essential part of the listing description. Guaranteed old and original.
Disclaimer: Item details, identification, and historical context are based on the seller’s personal research and best assessment. Buyers are ultimately purchasing the physical photograph pictured, in the condition shown. No additional authentication is implied or warranted.
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