Book Backdrop for Step Right Up by Donna Janell Bowman – Object #1

Beautiful Jim Key Spelling “St. Elmo” at the “World’s Fair” St. Louis

Download photograph

<p>In this sepia colored photograph, the horse Beautiful Jim Key holds a card with the letter “O” in his mouth in front of a stand holding the letters S-T. E-L-M<br />
Behind the horse are a wooden card file cabinet, a set of shelves, and a cabinet labeled “post office.”</p>

Illustration in Master St. Elmo, the Autobiography of a Celebrated Dog (1904)

Questions:

What do you think the horse, Beautiful Jim Key, is doing in this photograph? How does this compare to the author’s description in the book?

Citations

Senour, Caro Smith. Master St. Elmo, the autobiography of a celebrated dog. [Chicago, Ill., The Juvenile book company, 1904], 141.