black child smoking a pipe photograph historical americana memorabilia

I got this from my neighbor who was selling it at her garage sale. She said it was her ex husbands. It had belonged to his family from the south. His grandparents were gardeners on an estate and they got the picture there...however, the picture over the top was different. It had some wallpaper decor or something on top of it. When my neighbor got it, she removed the top picture and found this underneath. Since it was not a family heirloom she had no interest in keeping it. It looks to be in good condition from what I can tell. about 18 x 24 with bubble glass. the child is dressed nicely, with a long stocking cap and smoking a pipe. What is the significance of this gesture. Any information that anyone could share would be great. Its a mystery to us.