The American missionary Lorenzo Warriner Pease had a discussion with one of his servants:
Today I asked a woman working for us how many pictures of saints she has, she replied about 10 or so. I asked her to sell me one.
“Oh no, I am afraid of the saint.”
“And what can he do to you?”
“He can send upon me various diseases. It is a sin to sell a picture. I received them from my mother as part of my dowry.”
Truly a fine dowry! She at length agreed to present me with one. Whether she will do it or not is doubtful. I thought she was a little ashamed of them. Every family has them, and sometimes several as St Nicolas, John the Forerunner, etc etc.