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1885 antique A.C. HUMMER Kansas State Normal School LIGHTNING CALCULATOR photo
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AI-assisted research disclaimer: This description was prepared with the assistance of AI from the photographs provided. While every effort has been made to identify and describe the item accurately, errors are possible. Please review the photographs carefully and reach your own conclusions regarding condition, age, and completeness.
An outstanding identified 1885 cabinet photograph depicting A. C. Hummer, a mathematics educator associated with the State Normal School of Kansas (now Emporia State University) in Emporia, Kansas.
The cabinet card measures approximately 4¼ × 6½ inches and was produced by noted Emporia photographer S. H. Waite, whose studio imprint appears on the reverse.
A contemporary handwritten inscription on the back identifies the sitter as:
"1885
A. C. Hummer, Prof. of Mathematics and Lightning Calculator."
Research confirms that A. C. Hummer served as a student assistant/teacher at the State Normal School of Kansas during the 1884–1885 academic year. He is recorded in the school's official twenty-five-year institutional history among those assisting with practice school supervision and academic instruction, placing him within the early faculty and teacher-training program of one of the Midwest's most important nineteenth-century normal schools.
The inscription's reference to "Professor of Mathematics and Lightning Calculator" is especially intriguing. During the late nineteenth century, "lightning calculators" were celebrated for their extraordinary mental arithmetic abilities, often combining mathematics instruction with public demonstrations, lectures, and educational exhibitions. This cabinet photograph provides rare documentation of an educator identified with both formal mathematics instruction and the era's fascination with advanced mental calculation.
The portrait itself is particularly attractive, showing Hummer in formal Victorian attire with a patterned cravat and distinctive full mutton-chop sideburns. The combination of an identified subject, documented educational career, unusual occupational title, and original Kansas studio imprint makes this an exceptional piece for collectors of:
- Emporia State University / Kansas State Normal School history
- Mathematics and science history
- History of education
- Mental calculation and "lightning calculator" performers
- Kansas photography
- Identified nineteenth-century cabinet cards
- Genealogy and local history
Authentic period piece related to family, historyor local heritage - well-suited for historical collections, genealogical /genealogy research, or museum acquisition.Vintage or Antique.
CONDITION: See listing description and photos.
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LOC:
LOC2: PAPERBOX38-TMKTT
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