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Original antique cabinet photograph, dating approximately to the 1900s–1910s, showing a Ukrainian woman holding her infant child.
The woman is photographed in a studio wearing traditional Ukrainian clothing, including an embroidered shirt / vyshyvanka and a traditional headscarf. She holds a very young baby wrapped in blankets in her arms.
The intimate mother and infant portrait together with the traditional Ukrainian clothing makes this an especially attractive example of early Ukrainian ethnographic and family photography.
The photograph is mounted on its original decorative cabinet card. The lower portion has an attractive embossed floral design with Art Nouveau-style flowers, together with the photographer\'s name and location printed in gold:
“ЛИПНИЦКІЙ — ОСТЕРЪ”
“LIPNITSKY — OSTER”
Oster was located in the Chernigov Governorate of the Russian Empire and is today the town of Oster in Chernihiv Oblast, Ukraine.
The reverse has an elaborate period photographer\'s design showing an early camera, artist\'s palette, brushes, flowers and other photographic motifs, together with the фотография” – “Artistic Photography”
An old pencil inscription at the top of the reverse appears to read:
“Инна Юркевич” / “Inna Yurkevich”
This may identify the woman or another person associated with the photograph, although the identity has not been independently confirmed.
The photographer\'s imprint is particularly interesting. The internationally known photographer Boris Lipnitzki (1887–1971) was born in Oster, Chernigov Governorate, and later became a professional photographer before establishing his career in Western Europe.
Because this cabinet photograph bears the contemporary studio imprint “Lipnitsky – Oster,” a possible connection with the early career or family of Boris Lipnitzki is intriguing.
However, no documentary evidence has yet been found conclusively identifying the “Lipnitsky – Oster” studio as Boris Lipnitzki\'s studio. This photograph is therefore not offered as an authenticated work by Boris Lipnitzki.
Period: circa 1900s–1910s / pre-1917
Location: Oster, Chernigov Governorate, Russian Empire – present-day Ukraine
Studio: Lipnitsky / Липницкій, Oster
Subject: Ukrainian mother with infant
Clothing: Traditional Ukrainian vyshyvanka and headscarf
Format: Cabinet photograph / mounted studio portrait
Dimensions: 114 × 170 mm (approximately 4.49 × 6.69 in)
Inscription: “Inna Yurkevich” – handwritten in pencil on reverse
Original antique photograph: Yes
A striking pre-revolutionary Ukrainian mother-and-child portrait combining traditional folk clothing, an identified Oster photographic studio and an exceptionally decorative original cabinet mount.
Excellent for collectors of Ukrainian ethnography, vyshyvanka, Ukrainian folk costume, early Ukrainian photography, Chernigov Governorate, Oster history, antique cabinet photographs and photographic history.
Please examine all photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the description.
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