Man with arm around cardboard woman—CARLI Digital Collections Featured Image

From Peoria Historical Society Image Collection (Bradley University) in CARLI Digital Collections

Just in time for Valentine’s Day!

I don’t know quite what to make of this late nineteenth century image. The “couple” sits cozily at the small table. The man’s carefully coiffed comb-over and the way he gazes attentively at the cutout woman is rather poignant. On the other hand, his intimate posture with his hand dangling over her shoulder and stroking her upper arm suggests that he is having fun with the whole thing. In another image, the same man poses similarly with another cardboard woman.

The metadata included with both of these images identify them as glass negatives possibly by H. H. Cole or R. M. Cole. The collection generously uses subject headings to suggest ways of exploring it that you might not think of on your own. For instance, the second image pointed out above has the tag “necklaces” – which retrieves 17 images of people wearing necklaces from the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Written by Mary Rose, Metadata Librarian at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

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