A phrase from historical newspaper personal ads, explained with real examples from the archive.
An offer, or a condition, that both sides would send each other a picture.
| Type | Historical language |
|---|---|
| Category | Formula |
| Earliest example in the archive | December 12, 1872, New National Era |
| Most common | 1860s to the 1920s |
As photographs became easier and cheaper to have made in the second half of the nineteenth century, a portrait could become part of a courtship by mail. Photographs exchanged promised fairness: each side would see the other.
PERSONAL. A lady wishes correspondence with a gentleman of cents and refinement. Object, matrimony. Photographs exchanged. Address, PYCHON L. LEE, San Jose, Cal. dec…
The same question every text-first personals app faces: when, and whether, to share a photo.
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How this fits into 170 years of personal ad shorthand: From Object Matrimony to LTR: How Personal Ads Learned to Talk in Code.
All dictionary entries · The Personals Archive · How to write a personal ad
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