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Do you know the rules governing gifts in a textile mill village at the turn of the century? 1890-1910? When would it be appropriate to give a photograph of yourself to a friend, to a family member? Judging from physical items preserved, it appears that this giving of photographs was a common occurrence among the residents of the Woolen Mills.
Early on, the images were produced by one of the several studios in Charlottesville (Holsinger, Fischer, Wampler). As the years passed, the professional photographs were replaced with snapshots taken by Woolen Mills residents.