STATEN ISLAND GIRL GROWS UP - c. 1950 SCRAPBOOK PHOTO ALBUM

Item #691

12.25 x 14.5” red string-bound scrapbook with some damage on the front cover. The first page has “Memories” written out in gold stickers, surrounded by star stickers. The second page has a note detailing the contents and concept of the album, which seems to have been part of a school assignment for Rose Greco. Rose documents her life in pictures, from infancy to her freshman year of high school. There are around 78 black-and-white photos that start was Rose as a young girl growing up with 3 much older brothers, all of whom were in active combat during WWII. Rose was clearly the baby of the family and much-loved by her siblings, as she is seen taking trips with her brothers as well. There are also photos of Rose with dogs, horseback riding, with friends, and class photos from school. There are loose programs for the 1954 graduation exercises for Public School Three, and the 1958 Tottenville High School commencement program from Staten Island. There are also 3 loose copies of issues of The Trumpet, her high school’s newspaper; Rose notes that she was in Journalism class in her freshman year. Photos measure between 2 x 2.75” and 10 x 8” and are held to the pages with corner tabs, accompanied by handwritten annotations describing times in Rose’s life. There are some unused pages in the back, a few missing photos and some loose photos.

Example note and commentary:
This is a memory scrapbook. In it I have depicted my life through photographs. It is not an altogether complete portrait of my life thus far (—but then what written or pictorial résumé could be?) because I don’t have souvenirs in the form of photos, trinkets, postcards, programs, clippings etc. of all the things I’ve done. In addition the brief captions beneath each picture could not begin to tell what I thought at that time or have each part of my life significantly affected me and my personality today.
I’m glad that this assignment has given me an opportunity to gather what mementos I have into one scrapbook—for unlike most people, up until this time I hadn’t any sort of record of my life. I’m sure that I’ll continue to add souveniers and pictures to it from now on, through my high school and future career. I shall be happy to have a book of memories so I can look back upon myself and reflect on my life and the changes in me.
May, 1955.

I was born April 16, 1941 in Richmond Memorial Hospital which is located only a few blocks away from us. Thus began my life. In about eight months I was christened (in St. Thomas Church in Pleasant Plains) Rose Mary Greco. We have lived at 38 Wilbur Street in Princes Bay all of my life. The pictures at the top were taken at the age of eight months, those at the bottom at 1½ yrs. (Note the hospital in background).

This picture brings me to the present. Today only Mother, Junior and I live at home. He is in business, and we hope someday to have it a profitable venture—perhaps we have a hidden desire to become millionaires!?
I hope by the end of my Freshman year I shall have more material to add to this scrapbook from the school year. It will be a great pleasure to keep adding to this book so that I have memories of my life which I don’t think I would have had unless this project was assigned.

Price: $250.00