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This seems to be a portrait to commemorate the breeching of an American boy. The portrait was taken May 4, 1896. He was Caroll Ebert Kelly who lived in Duluth, Minnesota, a hub for cargo shipments in the Great Lakes. Caroll was 4 years old. We do not know if he just turned 4, but this seems likely. His parents may have seen this as the appropriate age to breech him, but not yet to cut his hair. Caroll has long hair, but not curled. This was unusual. Most American boys with long hair during the Fauntleroy era had it curled. Caroll has a two colored wide brimed hat, sonmething we do not often see. The brim is not as wide as some at the time. He wears a summer-weight cut-away jacket suit, but without Fauntleroy trim, at least we do not see any. He does have a large floppy bow which covers his collar. The knee pants seem slightly large, probably mother bought a size for him to grow into. The long stockings abnd high-top shoes were strandard. His parents have written on the back, "Now I have some pants like a man & two pockets & a Fiddleen like Papa." It is written as if Carroll said it, but sounds more like this was how his parents were thinking. It would be interesting to know just what Carroll was thinking. The mount is interesting. It was one of the new style mounts, showing that they began to appear before the turn-of-the century. Actually it was the earliest example we have found of the new style mount. The studio was Zweifel in Duluth.
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