Studio portrait of two women, circa 1907

About this postcard

Two women pose in a photographer's studio, one standing and one seated in a wooden chair, both in white dresses trimmed with lace. Each wears a badge pinned at the chest, the kind of ribbon or pin worn by delegates, teachers, or club members at a gathering. Behind them hangs a painted backdrop with an ornate architectural motif. The matching white dresses and badges suggest the two attended the same event, perhaps a commencement, a lodge meeting, or a church or society outing. Studio portraits of this kind were a common way for ordinary people to mark an occasion, and local photographers staged them plainly, with a chair, a backdrop, and the sitters in their best clothes.