This month's Ben's Lens is a mystery to us and we are hoping that our readers might have some suggestions on what it depicts. As can be seen in the image, several of the men seem to be wearing non-Western-style clothing. The large building in the background, however, appears to follow conventional Western architectural principles of design. The carte de visite also includes the imprint of Philadelphia photographer Frederick Gutekunst with his address of 712 Arch Street  printed on the verso. Gutekunst moved to this studio location in 1867 and remained there into the 20th century. Throughout his career, Gutekunst is known to have made a trip to Germany, journeyed to Gettysburg after the infamous battle of 1863, and traveled throughout Pennsylvania photographing for the Pennsylvania Railroad, but he is primarily known for his Philadelphia photographic work. We welcome any thoughts our loyal Ben's Lens readers might have about where this image might have been taken and what is happening in the view.

 

Sarah Weatherwax
Curator of Prints & Photographs