State Historical Society of Iowa

Portrait of Two Young Girls with Doll in Baby Buggy, 1890

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Courtesy of State Historical Society of Iowa, W.H. Brewer, Shenandoah, 1890

Description

The portrait is of two young girls with doll, covered by a blanket, laying in their baby buggy. The photograph was taken in Shenandoah, Iowa, in 1890. This style of portrait was known as a cabinet card, where photographs are mounted on stiff pieces of cardboard. They were introduced in the 1860s, but their production waned around the turn of the century.

Source Dependent Questions

  • What can you learn about the past from this photo?
  • Why do you think the children are posing with their baby buggy?
  • How is this photograph the same as "Farmer Earl Pauley's Children Playing with Dolls…" and how is it different? Which photo shows working-class children? Which photo shows middle/upper- class children? How do you know? Are the ways the kids play more alike or different?

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