Physical comedy seems to have been particularly popular across small towns as a form of amusement, perhaps reflecting the prominence of vaudeville. In the photographic studio, sitters emulated slapstick performances they might have seen on stage. As modernity extended to these places, social mores gave way to individualism and public character was replaced by personality and momentary diversion. Cards like these make it easy to forget that a mere twenty years earlier, most people were nervous about getting their portraits made, and were often upset by the results.

Es posible que John R. McGarrity haya leído o incluso visto las primeras versiones de los fotomatones que se introdujeron en Europa por esta época. Al presentar dieciocho versiones de esta mujer, incluida una en la que está claramente en movimiento, inyecta una sensación de espontaneidad en este innovador retrato ampliado.

John R. McGarrity may have read about or even seen early versions of photo booths being introduced in Europe around this time. By presenting eighteen versions of this woman, including one where she is clearly moving, he injects a sense of spontaneity into this inventive extended portrait.

El retrato fotográfico es una performance. ¿Cómo te presentas ante la cámara? Este hombre lleva esa premisa a su conclusión lógica, interpretando el acto de prepararse para afrontar el día.

Photographic portraiture is a performance. How do you present yourself to the camera? This man takes that understanding to its logical conclusion, performing the act of getting ready to face the day.

En la década de 1890, seguía siendo difícil captar un momento único en el tiempo. Estas mujeres parecen estar jugando un partido de tiro, pero ninguna de ellas está mirando la pelota.

In the 1890s, it remained difficult to capture a single moment in time. These women seem to be playing a game of toss, but none of them is looking at the ball.

Estos fotógrafos han rayado círculos en el piso del estudio para hacer más vívido el patinaje fingido de este hombre adornado con medallas. El telón de fondo, que muestra uno de los palacios de hielo que fueron el centro del Carnaval de Invierno de Saint Paul a partir de mediados de la década de 1880, aporta un sentido de tiempo y lugar.

These photographers have scratched circles in the studio floor to make this medal-bedecked man’s feigned skating more vivid. The backdrop, showing one of the ice palaces that provided the centerpiece of the Saint Paul Winter Carnival beginning in the mid-1880s, adds a sense of time and place.

Esta joven lleva un vestido cubierto de tarjetas de gabinete, en una aparente celebración del medio. Es probable que sea una “muchacha de pancarta” remunerada para llevar este elaborado conjunto a un carnaval como publicidad para el estudio del fotógrafo.