1900-1921 2 photo albums Washington County PA landscapes, New England, Somerset PA, Washington College
Ca. 1900-1921. Hardcover. Probably the albums of Ernest Jennings Michael and his wife Elsa Thusnelda Foerster Michael. 2 albums. The first is 8 x 6 inches, leather, very good, some light rubbing and wear to binding, housing just over 100 photos. No identification as to who took these or the families in them, and some light identifications as to places. It starts out with a series of 17 4.75 x 3.75" photos of woodland and landscape scenes, probably taken in Washington County. Then there's a photo of the interior of an elementary school classroom labeled "Washington PA" on the photo, showing chalkboard, seats, lesson plans, map of Europe. After 2 more rural pictures, there is a photo of Longfellow's home and his tomb, Emerson's tomb, interior of Boston Library, then photos of young women in front of a country house: are they there for an event or a wedding, or is this how they had to dress back then? Pencil note says these are from 1900-1901. With group shots of the women including what looks like a dorm pajama party photo and a woman in a peasant's costume holding a sword. A photo of a bouquet is labeled in pencil "Roses Mrs. Poultney gave me." Then there are two views of Somerset, PA followed by several from rural Somerset county if we had to guess, including a lovely photo of two women laughing on a pile of hay, photo of a young woman with a macaw, 3 photos of a croquet match, more rural photos labeled what looks like "Walter's Park" -- a sanitarium in Berks County PA we believe -- followed by some nice woodland views, then photo of some guys with tennis racquets, photos of what looks like a nurse, some family photos, and then on to the guys: photos of a young man and his college dorm room with "W-S" banner, photos of what looks like a period drama performed in a house, photo of a quite debonair young man, other photos of the same man in woods, several photos of a young woman wearing quite the hat, two more bedroom photos, one with banner for Washington College, then some family photos including a very early car that looks like a Stanley Steamer, etc. The second album is 11 x 7.5 inches, papercovered boards with black cord binding; this contains over 170 photos, and charts very neatly the course of a young woman's life, clearly the same family as the first album, but in this case focusing on a young woman whose visage suggests she's not the sunniest person, but this impression changes as the album progresses. There is a calling card engraved with the name Miss Elsa Thusnelda Foerster; Find-a-grave gives her dates as 1881-1951, Allegheny County, daughter of composer Adolph Foerster and grand-daughter of artist Emil Foerster, could be the woman in this album or possibly just a friend. There is a handsome 1905 real photo postcard of friends in a car near the New York Theatre at 44th & B'way. Then a series of pictures of the young woman with her new baby boy, along with some photos of her husband. After this the album is mainly devoted to family pictures as the boy grows older. There's a little cutting from a paper saying that a church choir will give a musicale, including Elsa Foerster, soprano, lending credence to the notion that these are Elsa's albums. Then a series of photos from 1920 when Elsa would have been 39; her child looks to be about 8 or 9 in them, followed by some family photos of her husband with his parents. The remaining photos seem to be mainly of Elsa and her family, dated 1917-1921. Her husband was named Ernest Jennings Michael (1881-1971), and they had one son, Robert Hartley Michael (1912-1973). Very good. Item #H35348
Price: $275.00 save 33% $184.25