HANDMADE PHOTO ALBUMS w/ DRAWINGS AND DIARY ENTRIES PRIMER 1905-1906 MAINE
Item #657
Early 1900s gang of friends
This collection contains 2 paper albums bound with ribbon which contains pictures and poems describing the fun had by a group of young women and men in 1905 and 1906. A newspaper clipping at the back of one of the albums helpfully names many of the people photographed:
“The following party went down river Tuesday for a weeks outing and will stop at the Carleton bungalow and M. E. Webber’s cottage: Miss Alice Oliver chaperone, Misses Lizzie Tobey, Hattie Russell, Ella Roney, Nettie Sampson, Maude Beverage, Celia Roney, Ella Hastings, Edith Russell, Jessie Stewart; Messrs. Henry Grindle, Orra Roney, Fred Russell, Arthur Pratt, Cleveland Sampson. It is understood that they have a chef from Waldoboro-Astoria.”
The first album measures 8 x 5.5” and is tied with a white ribbon, while the second album measures 9.25 x 6.25” and is tied with a red ribbon. On the front cover of the first album there is a circular cyanotype of a small boat on the water, and the words “Cushing, Me. 1905”; on the front cover of the second album there is a black-and-white photo of the gang lined up together and the words “The Gang Primer 7/24-31 1906”. All 49 photos in the first album are cyanotypes, depicting the “gang”, as they call themselves, of young women and men who enjoyed a pleasant time in Cushing, Maine. In the second album, all 29 photos are black-and-white, showing the gang spending time at Carleton bungalow. The photos measure between 1 x 2.5” and 4.75 x 3.75” and are glued to the pages. Instead of the usual annotations, the photographs are accompanied by several different poems describing the activities that the gang got up to during their excursions together. In the second album, the poems are presented in alphabetical order from A to Z, with each poem describing an item, place, or activity important to their experience at the bungalow. There are also several little illustrations throughout the albums. Both albums have empty envelopes on the back inside covers. The first page of the first album has an illustration of twelve brides and grooms lining up to be married, accompanied by a short poem:
According to the cards my friends
The gang will all be wed;
And settled very happily
“Within a two” - tis said.
Examples of poems:
Two wretches poem
There are two horrid wretches,
Who’ve lived with us a while,
They tried to kidnap a maiden—
To seduce her with a smile—
When Miss Malrina started out,
She little thought of harm,
‘Till she saw a boat from shore sneak
And then she took alarm.
She beat them to her oars,
Her muscles did unwind,
So then she scooted right along—
Those wretches left behind.
And then those awful wretches
Their hand at arson tried;
And set on fire the raspberry patch,
The flames spread far and wide.
Now then when all was blazing
They took then to the boat
Nor would they turn, although we all
Did shout to split our throat.
Up rose our dear old Brambles then
And formed a fine brigade
He and Hall leaped in the flames
Nor did they seem afraid.
The rest lined up with buckets
And water lugged galore.
Until we choked that fire out,
No longer did it roar.
Now when the fire had spent itself
Those wretches they returned
And one lugged water in a pale
To where the woods had burned.
Ice cream festival poem
We’d heard that an ice-cream festival
Would be held in Cushing town
So we decked us bravely in our best
In cotton and linen gown.
The boys each gave himself a shave
Ere he donned his garments glad
Nor in the whole Knox County
Could be found a finer lad.
We locked our home and started out
A merry company
The tim'rous moon did hide herself
But who did care?—not we
First station was the woodpile
When those who rubbers nore
Just picked them off, then transfer look
For Uncle Gustus’ store.
At last we reached the festive scene
For pilot Gustus took
He steered us through that Cushing Ground
Nor gave us time to look.
“Now step into the bedroom
And there remove your wraps
Then please to join the mourners”—
Were we startled?—well perhaps.
We limbered up their music piece
‘Twas the best that we could do
Sang a number of choice selections
The mourners tuned up too.
We found a Miss Maloney there
With a “friend from Washington”
She wore an automatic limb
Which worked like a big baton.
“Are you stopping at the cottages?
Must have a lovely time”—
Then oh what yells the piano gave
The music it was fine.
Then Gustus said the cream was served
And we called the mourners out
We stood and looked at Marcia
As she wound round Fred about.
She tried her hand at “Coax me”
And got Hennie on her string
Till Fred had malice in his eye
And then he took his fling
We sat around the festal board
Hennie a seat by Marcia found
She met him with an icy stare
So then he turned him round.
He gave his place right up to Fred
Then came and sat with us
We ordered cream - but when ‘twas served
It seemed like Charlotte russe.
We had ice in floating island
And gravy seemed quite thin
So then we took a tunnel
And turned the stuff right in.
One boy then pulled a tenspot out
And thought he’d have it changed
Then the one who held a twenty
Began to look deranged.
The pair of girls who had a bet
On eating those four ices
Began to have a car sick look
Nor cared one whit for prices.
Fred’s cream did have a bad effect
It worked so on his heart
That he couldn’t go when we did
Nor from Marcia could he part.
He stood by the bars at midnight
And this is what he said
“My Marcia! how I love her
Bless her little curly head!”
We awakened in the morning
All feeling good as new.
No social functions more for us
For we’d never live them through.
When Fred came home from [illegible]
He sported a lily white—
Do you ‘spose his Marcia gave it to him?
or was he in such a fright??
That he fell into the lily pond???
And in groping for the land????
He did just pull that lily up?????
All dripping in his hand??????
A
A - Abacadasset, a wood boat so trim,
A racer, a sprinter, was she.
Her captain was Thompson, as slick as a pin—
Fond of the cook was he.
He’d Fremont a deckhand, so noble and brave,
A life-saver gallant was he;
There’s also Mis’ Pence, so bonny and fair,
The love of the captain was she.
G
G- stands for Ghost—a spectre so grim,
It appears at the bungalow, the lights being dim—
It stopped our pop concert, in the fun caused a lull,
As it shows its death’s-head and ghastly white skull.
S
S- is the Sail which intervened—
S- is the Sail which coyly screened—
Those picked up girls, who little dreamed,
Of the lookout at the bungalow.
S- is for the Smalley town far away—
S- is for Smalley town hid in a bay—
Found by the trio, rowing away
From the lookout at the bungalow.
From A to Z
Now here’s the alphabet from A to Z,
From Z to A as well;
We’ve tried a record here to keep—
But still there’s more to tell.
In this good year 19-0-6-
We’re fifteen souls all told,
Have proved each other friends indeed,
Found not alloy but gold.
Price: $1,200.00