« Wicker Chariot »

This superb image is by Hoyer of Norfolk, Nebraska, one of several I have by this photographer (some with the same backdrop).

As you may imagine, photos of babes in carriages number in untold thousands, whether from studios or the family snapshot albums, and they are popular with collectors, especially the outrageous (to our eyes) examples of wicker work in the shape of swans and arabesques; this one is sedate by comparison. I have wondered if the carriages in the studio examples are a matter of pride in the carriage itself, or if it was a practical decision – if baby is content in its place, why unsettle things by trying to pose her/him another way, but the fact that the entire carriage is quite often included may suggest that it is nearly as important as the child!

Wicker was the rage for several decades in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.