Curiously Posed Woman with Parasol and Raised Hand, Antique RPPC rick hintz What makes me love it

What makes me love it especially is how much someone clearly very much prized this reddish brown cow

Each post measures 20 7/8" l x 1 1/4" in diameter

" These have become quite prized collectibles

which one could perch on a shelf or hang in a variety of manners

several pages of penmanship practice ("quarrelsome people are dangerous companions"--twice for good measure

Curiously Posed Woman with Parasol and Raised Hand, Antique RPPC rick hintz What makes me love itIt took me quite a while to figure out what was going on in this portrait, which is part of why I like it! At first I thought it was some sort of rod she holds, pointing off to the left but I finally realized it is the handle of a parasol, tipped 90 degrees to its side. (Adding the confusion is what I presume is the rolled cuff of the right sleeve, which looks almost like a brace attached to her arm.) And then this curious gesture she makes with her