Two American Entrepreneurs: Madam C.J. Walker and J.C. Penney--Drawing 1 and Photo 1

How to Use the Images

Inquiry Question

Historical Context

Maps

Readings

Photo 2
Photo 3
Photos 4 & 5

Activities

Table of
Contents

Visual Evidence

Drawing 1: Artist's conception of the opening of the first Golden Rule Store in 1902.

[Drawing 1] with link to higher quality drawing.

(J.C. Penney Archives)

Photo 1: The Golden Rule Store, 1904.

[Photo 1] with link to higher quality photo.

(J.C. Penney Archives)

By 1904 the Golden Rule Store (no longer standing) had outgrown its one-room frame building off the main business district of the town. On August 1, 1904, Penney moved the store into the left side of the stone building shown in Photo 1. He occupied a 25-by-140 foot section. It became a J.C. Penney store in 1913, and the Penney Company continued to operate a store here until moving to a new location in 1929.

Questions for Drawing 1 and Photo 1

1. Compare and contrast the two images in terms of the appearance of the buildings, the activities of the people, the surrounding landscape, the general look of the street, and the vehicles.

2. Does the artist's conception of the first store seem idealized? If so, how? What do you think he is trying to convey to the viewer?

3. What other uses did the building serve at the time Photo 1 was taken?

4. If there was no date attached to the photo, what clues might help you figure out when it was taken?

* The images on the screen have a resolution of 72 dots per inch (dpi), and therefore will print poorly. You can obtain a high quality version of Drawing 1 and Photo 1, but be aware that each file will take about 30 seconds to load with a 28.8K modem.

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Comments or Questions

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National Park Service Arrowhead with link to NPS Web site.