Vintage Photograph of a Woman Reaching for a Saguaro Cactus Near Hayden, Arizona

New to my collection of antique vernacular photographs, a great image of a woman stretching to reach a cactus arm

This wonderful tourist snapshot shows a woman in knickers stretching to reach the lowest arm of a tall saguaro cactus in Arizona.

It’s a small 4 x 2-3/8-inch print on gelatin silver paper with a glossy surface. Time has yellowed the paper a bit. Based on the woman’s big hat and knickers, I’d guess this was shot in the 1920s.

For women, wearing men’s pants in that era was frowned upon — and even illegal in some places — with the exception of sporting pants like riding pants or knickers for golfing (also not allowed by many golf courses). Knickers were also popular for car trips.

A handwritten message on the back of the photograph tells us that it was taken near Hayden, Arizona. Note the strokes in the writing — it was written with a fountain pen by the woman pictured in the scene about 100 years ago.

What is vernacular photography?

Vernacular photographs as defined by the Museum of Modern Art: “images by amateur photographers of everyday life and subjects, commonly in the form of snapshots.” (Wikipedia).