In honor of National Poetry Month (and the possibility that we might actually be able to travel this summer) I bring you the travel diary of a young man who took a road trip from Ohio down to the Grand Canyon and then up through California to the Pacific Northwest in the summer of 1928. While there is a fair amount of description, the poetry comes from the long lists of place names he provides- this was pre-interstate so making your way across the country usually meant driving straight through towns rather than bypassing them on via a highway. This will probably be tl:dr for most but for the few who might enjoy such a thing I’ve scanned it in it’s entirety. Click here to see it all!
Oh What [Fragile] Webs We Weave
A series of damaged paper weaving exercises by one Jennie Ford from an early 20th c. album.
A Soldier’s Box
I couple of years ago I picked up a cigar box filled photos and ephemera kept by a Korean War era G.I.. The photos were odd- mostly direct negative nude prints. The ephemera was straight up early 50s humorous erotica: Tijuana bibles, a pamphlet about urination, etc… Very tame but definitely not safe for work.
They Shoot Horses Don’t They?
It’s 1933- the Depression grips the country but in the dancehalls south of Boston are filled with music and dancing. Marathon dancing. For your viewing pleasure: a small album documenting some of the dancers who competed in some Massachusetts walkathons in 1933/34. Most interesting (to me anyway) were the handbills that I found tucked inside which I’ve scanned for your viewing pleasure. I’ve amended it with a few other dance marathon photos from my collection. Enjoy.