1918-1920 PROMINENT DETROIT FAMILY TRAVELS - CALIFORNIA TEXAS CANADA etc PHOTO ALBUM

Item #550

13.5 x 10.25” brown string-bound scrapbook which says “My Memory Book” in gold on the front cover. This album seems to have been put together by Alice Malcomson née Schofield, who was the second wife of coal dealer Alexander Young Malcomson[source]. This prominent family was from Detroit, Michigan and Alexander Malcomson helped bankroll Henry Ford’s automobile manufacturing. The album has about 420 black and white photos spanning the years 1918 to 1920 and the traveling that the Malcomson family did during these years. Photographs measure between 1.75 x 2.5 and 3.25 x 5.5” and are glued to the pages; some are accompanied by annotations written directly on the borders of the photographs, while others contain white text next to the photos. The Malcomson family traveled to Galveston, Texas, New Orleans, Louisiana, Canada, where there are photos of the Canadian Soo and Shingwauk Indian residential school, but it seems that most photos are from California. There they visited such locations as Laguna Beach, Santa Monica, and several churches in the area. The churches include the Church of Christ in Long Beach, the Central Christian Church, the Temple Baptist Church, and the annual pilgrimage to Mount Rubidoux. There are also menus for the California Mission Inn and Hotel Vosburg, and prayers have been cut and pasted through this California section of the album. Throughout their travels, the Malcomsons took photos of great natural views and family and friends. Other ephemera include a newspaper clipping about the Prince of Wales visiting the United States, another newspaper clipping about a flight taken by Cadet G.W. Malcomson in Key West, a clipping about Alexander Malcomson being robbed, cards and letters from friends, Alice Malcomson’s driver’s license from 1920, and a marriage certificate from 1872 for William Schofield and his wife. There is also a page of photos of military formations, Armistice Day parades in Detroit, panoramic views of Galeveston, a girl riding an Ostrich, and a few pics from Tijuana, Mexico. It looks like one photo or piece of ephemera is missing from one page. Most of the photos are glued to the page by one edge only, so there are corner bends to a few photos. The album is packed with photos and ephemera and it almost makes you feel like you were there with them.

Price: $595.00