In her 1903 book, Toilers of the Home, Lillian Pettengill describes a scene in which she is asked to take on the task of carrying a heavy suitcase for the daughter of her Mistress—who is her same age and build (and unbeknownst to the Mistress, shares Lillian’s educational background). 

It is an unsettling moment, and she describes the shifting of duty as a readjustment of burden.

The idea that an afternoon off might have constituted a different readjustment of burden—a few hours of time and space to have one’s photo taken—seems reasonable enough.