This cabinet card features an attractive young woman posing for her photograph in an unknown studio and in front of an unknown photographer. The house is not “The Little House on the Prairie” but the studio backdrop and props compose a terrific replica of a country cottage. Note the faux grass. The woman is wearing a chain necklace. Her skin, eyes and hair are dark. She has an ethnic appearance; possibly Black, Hispanic or Native American. The identity of this pretty young woman is unknown.
This Cabinet card pictures, what appears to be, two Native American or possibly African American cowboys wearing their cow punching clothing. The cowboy on the left is wearing a western hat, a neckerchief, and wooly chaps. I do not know what he wearing over his lower arms and wrists. The cowboy on the right has his western hat, neckerchief, and is wearing spurs on his boots. The photographer is Elliott of Marion, Iowa. Marion was established in 1839 and named after popular figure General Marion. The courthouse in Marion was the location of the recruitment of nine full companies which fought for the Union in the Civil War. The area was known as the most patriotic part of Iowa.
