1913 Photo Al Fostell at Tri-State Marker Vaudeville and Lincoln Collector RPPC

Original 1913 real photo postcard of vaudeville entertainer and Lincoln memorabilia collector Al. Emmett Fostell standing on the Tri-State Monument marking the borders of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Taken on February 22, 1913 (Washington’s Birthday), the photograph captures Fostell in a symbolic pose during a well-documented outing with friends Ross Gorman and Eddie Geisenheimer.

Ross Gorman, then performing as part of the Kiltie Duo, would later become the featured clarinetist for Paul Whiteman’s Orchestra and is best known for performing the iconic sliding glissando that opens George Gershwin’s *Rhapsody in Blue* at its 1924 premiere. Eddie Geisenheimer was a hotelier and showman based in Port Jervis, NY.

This image is directly connected to a major feature article published in *The Rail Splitter: A Journal for the Lincoln Collector* (Vol. 11, No. 4, Spring/Summer 2006) titled *“Al. Emmett Fostell: Lincolniana Collector, Vaudevillian, Enigma.”* Another photograph from this same day and location—featuring Fostell and Geisenheimer—appears in the article, making this an important companion piece and rare surviving original.

The verso of the photo identifies the subject and companions in period handwriting, confirming its authenticity and provenance.

– Real photo print (not postcard)
– Taken February 22, 1913
– Subject: Al. Emmett Fostell, famous vaudeville performer and Lincoln collector
– Photographer: Ross Gorman, later of Paul Whiteman Orchestra and *Rhapsody in Blue*
– Location: Tri-State Rock, Port Jervis, NY
– Mentioned in *The Rail Splitter* journal (Vol. 11, No. 4)
– Subtle silver gelatin sheen visible under angled light — consistent with early 20th-century photographic paper, confirming this is a true period silver gelatin print
– Measures 5.25 x 3.25 inches
– Excellent clarity with minor age toning

A unique historical artifact linking vaudeville culture, Lincoln collecting, and early jazz history.