This sepia heavy cardboard mounted photograph was originally from the Merton Grills (1872-1958) estate sale. He lived in Hagerstown, Indiana, was a wallpaper hanger, insurance agent, Justice of the Peace, town character, and an amateur photographer. I will be listing items from his photograph collection for the next couple of weeks. 

Approx 8 3/4" x 10 7/8" overall, with image area 7 3/4" x 9 3/4" Photograph is sepia, which was introduced ed in the 1880s and used until the 1920s. It also has silver mirroring in the dark areas.

I am editing this listing that I launched last evening. In looking at photo with a magnifying glass in natural light, I can read "Jung's" on the sign on the back wall next to the ice box. I found this: In 1857, Peter Weyand and Daniel Jung established the Western Brewery on Freeman and Bank Streets in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1879, Weyand and Jung partnered with Max Hellman and operated the brewery until 1885. In 1885, following the deaths of Peter Weyand and Daniel Jung, the brewery was renamed the Jung Brewing Company. The Jung Brewing Company operated from 1885 to 1890. In 1890, the brewery was sold and merged with Cincinnati Breweries Company. This means the photo could have been from 1885 onward.

This is either the inside of a bar, or the bar of a fraternal lodge, or an "underground" bar during Prohibition (1920-1933) The details in the photo could indicate anything from the 1885 through the early 1930s. The way the men are dressed, to me, indicates an earlier date. You'll note the men standing on the left appear to be men who work with their hands and get dirty, like cowboys, farmers, or miners. The men on the right are dressed up.

I don't know if Merton Grills took this photograph or got it somewhere to add to his collection. I think it is interesting that, at least in the portion of the room we can see, this seems to be smaller than most bars. The arched doorway on the left appears to have a partial swinging, louvered door into another room. I am fascinated by the lower foreground.  Looks like a letter E flipped to the right and seems to be at least 5 or 6 inches tall. Have no idea what this was for.

The sign at the left on top of back mirror says, "Pay Today, At Rest Tomorrow" The sign propped on the right of the back mirror says, "Please do not spit on the floor."

The men in the photograph are drinking beer; no one is drinking anything else.It is interesting that there is such a variety in the way they are dressed. Probably taken in cooler months, due to overcoats several are wearing. There is a cloth hanging on the patrons' side of the stand-up bar, as well as a spittoon on the floor. There is what appears to be a large wooden icebox in the right background. The light fixture hanging from the ceiling is gas.

I can't read the signs on the side walls, probably because the camera is focused forward. The oval sign on the left side wall appears to be a bottle of something. The frame on the left side wall towards the back appears to be a fancy document. On the right side wall: that looks like a map.

If anyone has any ideas, please message me.