Descripción
Oblong large quarto. 100 leaves, with photographs tipped to both sides of each leaf. Altogether just over 1,000 photographs (1,011 by our count). Photographs vary in size, but most are snapshots measuring about 3.75" x 3.75", with white borders. There are several larger group portraits, and a few dozen smaller snapshots. Album in fair condition, with the spine perished, some old tape repairs, and the leather dry at the extremities. All of the leaves are intact, though some are nearly detached. The prints vary condition-wise. Some are loose, while nearly all of the others are tipped in on just one side, so that one can read the captions on the versos. They have curled somewhat, which has allowed some prints to be creased and torn dur to inartful handling of the album leaves. Nevertheless, while a few dozen images show wear, the prints are generally in very good or better condition. An unusually rich, lively, and place-driven family album, compiled by a member of the Seguine family in Barrett Township, PA, an area of the Pocono Mountains in eastern Pennsylvania which is home to half a dozen small hamlets (Cresco, Mountainhome, Canadensis, and others). The family owned a general store in the center of town, which is proudly pictured in both a family-taken picture and a press photograph, laid into the front. Contents naturally vary, with hundreds of family snapshots, a great number of which artfully place the subject directly in the center of the frame. With six of these portraits to a leaf in many parts of the album, the effect is rather arresting. Though none of these photographers were likely professionals, there is a neatness an beauty to the images. Beyond the family shots, there are many dozens of action shots of the "Barrett Fair" in various years from abotu 1910 to 1930, including what appear to be parades, technology demonstrations, petting zoos, livestock competitions, and the like. There are a few shots of the "Barrett Fair Minstrels," a blackface performance no doubt entirely free of actual African-American participation. Other highlights include: -four beautiful snapshots of a solar eclipse on Jan. 24, 1925. The eclipse was notably visible in New York City, and the proximity of this area to New York would account for the excellent view obtained by the photographer. -A quite close-up snapshot of New Jersey Governor Woodrow Wilson in Asbury Park, NJ on August 21, 1912, on the sidelines of the "Baby Parade." Wilson was at the height of his ultimately successful campaign for President, having just received the Democratic Party's nomination less than six weeks earlier. -several dozen scenes of surrounding natural beauty, including waterfalls, rivers, and winter wilderness. There are also several shots of a large house on what must be a hundred-acre property (or more), which is almost certainly the family homestead. American family albums are rather common, and do not usually distinguish themselves apart from their peers. This one is an exception, with a very strong sense of place; vividly documenting the look and feel of this little corner of northeastern Pennsylvania from before the First World War through the beginning of the Great Depression. N° de ref. del artículo 9247
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