Among the Sky-Scrapers, Fairbury, Nebraska — Nº 101

A commercial block in Fairbury, Nebraska, serves as the subject for C. E. Yocam’s ironically titled series. This real photo postcard, numbered 101 of an unknown total, pairs the photographer’s public jest with a private cartography inscribed on its verso. There, a correspondent named Bertha uses red ink to plot her social evening for the recipient, marking with an X the location of the theater she plans to attend. The object thus operates dually, as both a topographical view with a humorous caption and an intimate, hand drawn map.