Camp National 1910. National Electric Lamp Association Seventh Annual Mid-Summer Conference June 19th to 25th 1910. Camp National Association Island, Henderson Harbor, N.Y.

Wraps. String through stab holes. Very Good Plus. Bold silhouette decorations of a photo album commemorating a corporate conference getaway. Even though many of the images are racist and offensive, and not just by today's standards necessarily, there is no denying that the artwork is eye catching. Oblong 4to, 27 by 35 cm. Unpaginated, 10 leaves of red card, including cover. (Bound in is smaller eight leaf In Memoriam brochure.) Visually it is the silhouette illustrations that excite and set this apart from other company celebratory publications. The silhouettes are meant to capture the fun spirit the getaway ideally fostered. Thus we are treated to silhouette (truncated) images of anglers, a leaping trout, sailboats, calm ocean waters at sundown, a hand pouring a bottle of liquor, etc. Theatricals and sports occupied the campers more than anything else. Black face constituted a significant part of the former, as a reflection of the times when ethnic and racist humor was so prevalent, no one would have batted an eye. The center of the brochure is a two page spread about the minstrel show, with the boldest silhouettes in the entire brochure, along with two small b/w photos, one clearly of the theatricals. There are a few other racist silhouettes, to the point that black face would seem to have been an obsession! Other silhouettes touch on circus, with the secondary headline stating the circus did not take place. We don't know whether this means it was canceled for some reason, or that there never was planned a circus. There are many b/w throughout, with three pages entirely given over to photos, two of which are tightly arranged collages. Two or three photos on most other pages. Photos are mounted, as are a number of textual slips of paper. Rear cover has a silhouette of a factory or power plant, the one nod to the actual workplace. Wrap covers, front and back , have many small dampstains, and some scratch marks as well. Light running by spine fold. Stab holes have grown slightly over the years. Interior shows light wear but remains quite clean. (Inventory #: 006583)