Here's a picture of a boy and two young ladies riding mules, from a photo postcard.  It's postmarked: "Portersville, Cal. Oct. 13, 1911".   The U.S. Postal Service still spelled Porterville (CA) "Portersville", at this point in time.
On the back of this postcard is written:  "Terra Bella Cal. Oct 12 -1911.   Dear Dora:  Here is a photo of Eleanor, Waller and Ruth on the way back from the Mts.  I suppose you will hardly know them...".
The card is signed "Clara and Family", and addressed to:  Miss Dora Haar, Adair, Iowa.

 From a small carte de visite portrait.   The photographer's stamp on the back of this picture states:  "From  S.W. Watrous'  Photographic Rooms,  Main St.  Visalia  Cal.".  (Circa 1882).   I've read that during the Victorian era,  little boys typically wore dresses.   Queen Victoria herself may have started this fashion trend by placing all of her young children in kilts.  

 Cabinet Card photo from Traver, CA.  (Mid to late 1880's)
The photographer is C.C. Curtis (Charles Clifford Curtis).
Traver  was an agricultural boom-town, its growth  built around improved irrigation and the growing & transportation of grain. 
Traver was created on April  8 1884, when town-lots were auctioned on  undeveloped land.   Within 60 days of this auction, the town-site went from 'nothing' to having :  Two hotels,  a post office, one drug store, an agricultural equipment store,  two lumber yards,  a couple of  merchandise stores, two barber shops,  two livery stables,  an express office/railroad depot, and three saloons.
But due to alkaline soil and poor land management the town went bust within 10 years or so.
None of the old 19th century buildings still remain in the present town of Traver.

 The photographer's stamp says:  "E. A. S. Wyllie,  Tulare, Cal."  (circa 1886-1890)

Nothing is written identifying the people in this photo,  but most likely this is the "Janes" family.

(Updated: 11/4/12):   After looking through a few old census records, I would guess that this is the family of  William and Margaret Janes (of Tipton and Tulare).   If this is correct, then this photo must have been taken around 1886.   Standing in the back (from L to R) is:  William "Wirt" (age 11),  Frank (age 16), John (13) and Henry(7).  Sitting from L to R:  Dick (age 5),  Margaret (age 33), William(48) and Milton(2).   Note: The  ages listed here are based on the 1886 date, see the pic just below of Frank Janes.
They had another son named Virgil, who was born in 1888.
Photographer E. A. S. Wyllie apparently moved to Tulare in 1886, the year he immigrated from New Zealand.

 I bought this photo from the same person who sold me the one above.   It appears to be a portrait of the eldest son from the family pic above.
The photographer's seal on the back of this photo states:  "Loryea Bros.,  Souvenir Photographic Studio,  26 South First St.  San Jose,  Cal.   All negatives preserved  Duplicates can be obtained at reduced rates."
Also on the back of this photograph is handwritten: "Compliments of yours truly,  Frank A. Janes," (or it might possibly say "Frank G. Janes") "Tulare, Cal.".


Close-up from the back of this photo (updated 11/4/12):

(Updated 11/4/12) One of the online genealogy sites lists the eldest son of William and Margaret Janes  as Frank Otho Janes (1870-1900).   In retrospect, the signature on the back of this photo does look more like "Frank O. Janes" than it does "Frank A." or "Frank G. Janes".

It could be that Frank Janes gave both of these photos as a gift to someone, perhaps a girl.  Signing something "Yours truly..." doesn't sound very romantic, but by Victorian standards it probably was.   He may have had a duplicate made of his family photo.  Photographers of this period usually charged about 50 cents for a copy of a photo.   This particular print of the  family photograph looks like it was done in a rush (e.g. It wasn't trimmed or blocked properly).

 This is a photo postcard, un-mailed. (circa 1905-1910)
On the back of this postcard someone has written:  "Father Rosenquest - up on this home in Visalia that he built."
Tulare County's 1900 Census  lists a:  Charles S. Rosenquest,  Occupation:  carpenter,   Residence: Visalia City Ward 1, Born in Ohio,   Age 49.
 

Close up:

Photograph of Mineral King,  1903.

 Handwritten on the back of this photograph:  "Farewell Gap, with Party of Sierrians at Mineral King". 

Mineral King is now part of  Sequoia National Park.   This appears to be one of the pictures taken of Sierra Club members ("Sierrians") on their 1903 trip through the Sequoia National Park/Forest area.

Stamped on the back of this photo are the words:  "SAME SIZE." and "SUN SUPP."   The person who sold me this picture  thought that it may have at one time been in the photo archive of the "The Sun" newspaper of Sheridan, Oregon.

Close-ups from the photo above:

A rather interesting looking group.

The young gentleman at the left side of this photo is holding  the book:  "Good Gravy", by Ezra Kendall (Humorist and Vaudeville comedian), published in 1901.

 

 

(Added 7/21/15)  The man at center is Joseph Nisbet LeConte.    LeConte was a noted explorer of the Sierra Nevadas,   a professor of mechanical engineering at Cal Berkeley for 40+ year;  and he was the Sierra Club's second president (after John Muir's death).

 



Close-up showing the19th century miners' settlement in the background .

Seems like a bugler would kinda scare off the wildlife. 

Two school pictures circa the late 1880's from south Tulare County:

Photographer's stamp on the back of this photo states: D. M. Churchill, Photographer, Pixley, Cal.

The Daily Alta California newspaper (of San Francisco) 3/17/1889 issue,  indicates that D. M. Churchill of Pixley was a blacksmith.  I would guess that for many small town photographers, taking photographs was just a sideline.

 Two close-ups from this picture:

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 Stamped on the back of this photo:  J. W. Talhelm,  Photographer.  Alila, Cal.

Tulare County land ownership maps of 1892,  list a J. W. Talhelm as owning a small plot of farm land near Alila.     John William Talhelm of Alila is listed as a registered voter in 1890 (Listed age: 23 yrs, Occupation: farmer, Birth place: Pennsylvania).  According to other voter registration records, he moved to the Dinuba area by 1896.     The town of Alila later changed its name to Earlimart.

Only the children near the center of this image appear to be in focus.

Close up: 

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 Even with the blurry image from the second photo, the school teacher in the two pictures (above)  looks like it could be the same person.   This could even be the same school, just different school houses & different years (e.g. Both photographs could be of Alila's or Pixley's grammar school.).   This teacher could also possibly be the same person in this photo.

Close-ups of the school teacher from the pictures above:

Here are some late 19th century cabinet cards:

 This photograph is marked:  "C. A. Myers, Portersville (CA)",  circa 1896.   On the back of the photo someone has written:  "George Arata".

 The back of this cabinet card is printed with:  "Davidson,   The* Leading* Photographer.    Work done in the Latest and Best Styles.   Pictures Enlarged in Oil, Water or India Ink.    E. M. Davidson, Proprietor.   Main Street, Visalia, Cal." (circa 1890)

 Another E. M. Davidson studio photo.  (circa 1890).   It looks like they utilized  the same stool and backdrop as the photograph above.

 Photo by  A. P. Bailey  (Excelsior Photograph Gallery),   Tulare, CA.   (circa 1887).

 This  "A. P. Bailey" could be the same photographer who was married to the artist Mary Emma Bailey.

Printed on the back of this cabinet card:  "Davidson's Art Parlors,  Work done in the Latest and Best Styles.       E. M. Davidson, Proprietor,   Main Street,  Visalia, Cal.",  (circa 1888).