A cute little girl wearing a plaid dress and a hat poses for her portrait at the studio of Joseph. J. Butman (1834-?) in Little Falls, New York. Sitting on a faux rock beside the young child is her small pet dog. The dog is a very cooperative subject as evidenced by the dog’s intent stare at the camera. An observer of this photograph may contend that the dog is a good subject because it is a “dead dog”, stuffed to be precise. I do not think that is the case in regard to this image. It is interesting to note the size of the bow that the child is wearing. It is so large that it covers her whole neck. Little information was uncovered about photographer J. J. Butman. It was found that his gallery once had a different address in Little Falls. That other address was 314 West Main Street. The 1880 US census lists Butman as 46 years old and married (1867) to his wife Mary. His occupation was reported as “photographer”. The 1900 census also lists him as a photographer as do many Little Falls city directories through 1909.
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 
Cute – she seems to have done her hair-dressing for the prospected photographer’s day by her own 🙂