This was a small advertising poster for Frances Benjamin Johnston’s photography business in 1895, via Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.
I think the image of a woman striding into the landscape with a case of tools in hand (and others tucked firmly under her arm) must have been quite a bold one for that time (although she was well supported by her sleeves).
The artwork was by Mills Thompson.
[…] encouraged women to enter the professional world. For example, she befriended and supported Frances Benjamin Johnston, whose ambition and need to earn an income may have surpassed her […]