Man with Whip, Trick Pony, and Two Sons

This father looks like a stern taskmaster, not just to the pony, but also to the two little boys. The pony poses meekly. The boy on the left is not at all relaxed—look at his shoulders!—and I'm wondering how often he felt the sting of that riding crop himself.

Pierre et Bergère (Pierre and Bergère)

Bergère means "shepherd" in French, and as a dog name, it would translate as "Shep." On the back of this photo it says Les deux sont inseparables, or "The two are inseparable." At first glance you might think Pierre was a girl, but you would be wrong. I'm betting he could do a lot of roughhousing in that sweet dress and sailor cap.

Teenage Girl with Pet Woodchuck

This girl is wearing a hairnet. At the time this snapshot was taken, around 1920, hairnets were all the rage. She probably raised her pet woodchuck from infancy. He's cute now, but as with all wild pets, when woodchucks mature, they have a mating agenda and no longer make cuddly pets.

Three Boys with Tortoise and Pinwheels

This is probably a professional portrait of these three boys with their large pet tortoise, judging from the sharpness of the image and the quality of the paper. Apparently it's not a windy day -- their pinwheels aren't spinning.

Sage Biggs and Some Kittens

Here's a studio photograph of a little girl named Sage and several kittens. The kittens might be hers, or they might be the photographer's. Some photographers kept cute pets in the studio to pose with children when they were having their portraits made. Sage's pose is unusual; profile poses of children are seldom seen.

South Dakota Studio Portrait, Boy, Dog, Puppies

Because of the necessary skylight, photography studios were on the top floor of their building. It must have taken some effort to get this dog and her four puppies up one or more flights of stairs for this portrait. Note that the boy's hat advertises 5¢ cigars—maybe his father was a tobacconist. This image was taken about 1900.

Girl Feeding Cats

This sharply focused image was used in a stereoview card published by George W. Griffith, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the 1890s. You can see the dot pattern on the girl's dress, the texture of the cats' fur, and the individual blades of grass.