Francis Wayland Sherman at the Age of 2 Years 10 Months

An inscription on the back of this photograph records the sitter’s identity and age. Because he belonged to a prominent family, it was possible to learn through research that he grew up in Ludlow, Vermont, the son of a successful businessman with pharmaceutical and music enterprises that he later managed. The rocking horse, a favorite toy of Victorian nurseries, may have belonged to the wealthy child or have been a prop in the photographer’s studio. This is an especially luxurious example. Dappled gray rocking horses were the most popular in that era, having been favored by Queen Victoria for her children’s nursery.