Figure 1.-- A HBC reader sent us this portrait which looks to be a CDV. The phitograph shows us the shirts the boys were wearing, usually covered by by jackets. Notice the studio stand, needed to keep the boys steady because of the slow emulsion speeds. He describes it as 'quite unusual' referring to the casual dress and the fact the boys are barefoot. It comes the Schoonover family photographic album. They were from Tippecanoe County, Indiana. Jesse Schoonover is on the left, and Ezra Appleton perhaps a cousin or family friend is on the right. They look to be about 10-12 years old. The photo was taken in neighboring Illinois about 1865.

The great majority of the 19th century photographic record is studio photography. While photography outside the studio was possible, it was complicated and in the 1860s basically required a team of horses to move a van with the equipment and needed chemicals. This is how Brady and others took their iconic Civil War photographs. That was something that few ensusiasts could afford or be bothered with. This gradually changed in the later-19th century, but it was not until the turn-of-the 20th century that amateur photography became easy and the modern snapshot was born. The rarity of barefoot boys in the photographic record we believe is misleading. We do note that most boys are dressed up for their potrtraits. Most mothers insisted on it. We do see a few of these boys barefoot. The vast majority of boys, however, were dressed up for the portraits and we very rarely see these dressed up boys barefoot. The few boys we see barefoot are boys more casually dress which in itself was not very common. The boy here is a good example (figure 1).