A father and his child pose in their winter clothing for photographer J. P. Benjamin in Pipestone, Minnesota. Both are wearing outer coats and snow hats. No biographical information could be found concerning the photographer of this cabinet card. Pipestone is located in southwest Minnesota. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow mentioned the beautiful stone area around Pipestone in one of his poems (Hiawatha). The town was established by two settlers who wanted to visit the site mentioned in the poem. A pipestone quarry is located about a mile north of the town and it was named a National Monument in 1937.
Isn’t it strange that they would want to pose with his coat and hat on unless he was sending the card to someone in a warmer climate and wanted to impress?