Poor paterfamilias – the family rises and he has to pay the freight
Subject(s): Businesspeople, Cost and standard of living, Domestics, Entertaining, Families, Family, Hand pumps, Household employees, Socialites, Upper class
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The father of an upwardly mobile family is forced to keep pace financially with his wife’s ambitions. The main vignette shows the father perspiring as he works harder, using a large pump labeled “Business” to pour more money into “Paterfamilias’ Pocket Book” to which a queue of tradesmen labeled “Caterer, Chef, Modiste, Carriage dealer, Milliner, Decorator, Furniture dealer, Florist, Jeweler, [and] Wine dealer” help themselves. The surrounding vignettes depict lavish parties, artwork on the walls, more frequent purchases of clothing for the children, his wife’s new understanding of the term “cottage,” and the increase in the size of the servant staff.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1895-08-21
Creator(s)
Opper, Frederick Burr, 1857-1937
Language
English
Period
NYC Police Commissioner (May 1895-March 1897)
Repository
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
Page Count
1
Record Type
Image
Resource Type
Rights
These images are presented through a cooperative effort between the Library of Congress and Dickinson State University. No known restrictions on publication.
Citation
Cite this Record
Chicago:
Poor paterfamilias – the family rises and he has to pay the freight. [August 21, 1895]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o289237. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Opper, Frederick Burr, 1857-1937. Poor paterfamilias – the family rises and he has to pay the freight. [21 Aug. 1895]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. January 22, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o289237.
APA:
Opper, Frederick Burr, 1857-1937., [1895, August 21]. Poor paterfamilias – the family rises and he has to pay the freight.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o289237.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. January 22, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs.
APA:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs.
