I am obsessed with this snapshot and can't stop thinking about these two women in their long calico dresses, hands locked, hats on, backs turned, with "Sintwisters" written along the bottom-- in the same hand that dated it on reverse, August 1911. "Sintwisters" is certainly a "spoonerism" for twin sisters (the term getting its name from the Reverend William Archibald Spooner, 1844–1930, a priest and Oxford don, famous for his frequent slips of the tongue when speaking to his students and congregation); by 1900 the word had entered the Oxford English Dictionary, but this is still a relatively early example of its common use as far as I can discern. It is the use of it in combination with this photograph that makes it so interesting though--with faces obscured, we don't really know if these two are twins, and/or whether the "sin" is a form of commentary on their relationship, or lifestyle (and it's hard to look at this now and not to find them appearing a bit cult-ish!) The rest of the notation on the the reverse reads "Cole's Camp" (which turns up several possibilities) but then I'm not sure about the next line. To my eye, endlessly compelling but forever mysterious, which is the best sort of thing.
4 5/8" x 2 7/8". Very good condition.
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