Charlie Crooks with horse, dogs & guns

I suppose we could call this a "transitional" photograph, taken at a time when camera equipment had advanced to the point where it begat the "snapshot" as opposed to formal portraiture.

This view of Charles L. "Charlie" Crooks (1884-1962) graced a postcard mailed by Charlie and postmarked March 2, 1917, Lacona, Iowa, to his first-cousin, Clarcy (Crooks) Eubank, who lived at Winnebago, Minnesota. The message reads, "Wishing you a happy birthday."

It's an interesting composition --- one man, one horse, two dogs and two rifles. I wish we knew the story behind the pose, but that's most likely lost to time.

Charlie and his wife, Maggie (Pennington) Crooks (1883-1964), were Otter Creek Township farmers who moved into Chariton about 1958, when he retired. They are buried in the Chariton Cemetery. The photograph is from the Lucas County Historical Society collection.