For Kerry’s Camera Flash at Real Toads. We are presented with a photo of Jessie Tarbox Beals, on of the first women photojournalists.
The Ugly Hat
Yes I know my hat looks like a cat
all covered with white fuzz.
But I love taking photos of cats.
Mainly long haired beauties of the rich.
I took over 80 photos of cats.
I don’t care for them but they are good subjects.
As long as they behave.
I get well paid for taking photos of cats.
I also get paid well for taking photos
Of shops and tea rooms in Greenwich village.
I am not much of a photojournalist
and the photos of the shops
all have these cutesy little poems at the bottom –
You can find laces and a whole more
At Tom’s Odds and Ends Variety Store!
Not much of a photojournalist
But I am prolific!
Eighty photos of cats –
just like my ugly hat.

Jessie Tarbox Beals
Early woman photojournalist 1904
Dec 01, 2018 @ 16:07:35
Such a cool take on the photograph, Toni ❤ That hat really does look like a cat resting .. 😊Love it!
Dec 01, 2018 @ 19:15:07
I thought so too! 🙂
Dec 01, 2018 @ 16:39:28
Nothing much has changed… just like youtube… cats get all the clicks.. and you have to make a living 🙂
Dec 01, 2018 @ 19:14:08
Actually she was from a wealthy family and had a trust fund. She just wanted to take photos but then she became commercial totally in her work. 80 photos of rich peoples cats. What can I say? I follow a website on FB where people post pics of their cats. No money involved but still the catss get my likes. 🙂
Dec 01, 2018 @ 17:57:41
Fantastic photo. Well done. Best wishes Sebby
Dec 01, 2018 @ 19:27:13
Thank you. I can’t take credit for the choosing the photo as it was part of a prompt at Imaginary Garden with real Toads.
Dec 01, 2018 @ 19:28:02
I have a few photos of my female ancestors back in the day wearing hats similar to this … my Grandmother had a ton of old hat boxes in her attic (she was born 1897 or so and she wore hats like this)… If ONLY my Mom hadn’t thrown all those hats away – or given them away! I liked her candid shots of the children…
Dec 01, 2018 @ 19:31:26
I inherited a ton of old photos from my mother who was quite a photographer and who collected and kept the ancient family pics including a great great whatever grandfather in his confederate grey uniform looking all stiff and stern at age 18. He looked a great deal like my grandmother. But I do believe this Is one of the ugliest hats I have seen from that time period. Of course, Jessie wasn’t much of a beauty herself!
Dec 01, 2018 @ 23:20:26
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and the emancipation of women was a few years off in many countries. So the hat, the skill and the confidence we see here that women had rarely been seen before this time. Ridiculing women for being strong is still common in many countries…if we admit it!
Dec 02, 2018 @ 00:41:27
Lol. I am not ridiculing her. I jusy don’t care for her ugly hat and the fact tbat she was from a wealthy family and had to fight for nothing.
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Dec 02, 2018 @ 00:51:45
Even today, people love taking photos of cats.. who knew it started so long ago?
Dec 02, 2018 @ 03:07:44
It amazes me the number of likes a cat page gets on FB as opposed to the number if clicks a baby gets. I know, I am one of the likers of cats
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Dec 02, 2018 @ 01:04:30
A fun reading, Toni. I hadn’t thought of a cat being her head corner. When I was in Istanbul I decided to take pictures of every dog and cat I found. It was many, some are on my ‘straight’ blog. Mark Twain had mentioned of all the lazy dogs he had found in Costinopal, most seem to still be there.
..
Dec 02, 2018 @ 03:33:51
Your poem made me smile, Toni, as soon as I saw the title! I didn’t know she took photos of rich people’s cats, I only knew about the documentary stuff. She was definitely prolific.
Dec 02, 2018 @ 06:47:56
Who would have thought that cat pics and vids would become such a ‘thing’. A hippy write!
Dec 02, 2018 @ 21:03:14
That’s one bad hat, Harry. Er, Jessie. 😉
Dec 02, 2018 @ 22:56:56
Lololol
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Dec 03, 2018 @ 04:12:59
kaykuala
Love the humor, the lighter vein in your writing Toni! A pleasant twist of the prompt. A humor theme is not easy. Well done!
Hank
Dec 03, 2018 @ 20:24:09
Love the comedy in this, Toni. I have old photos like this one, and the hats are real!
Dec 04, 2018 @ 04:02:49
Haha, love your take on the photo