[Photo Album]: World War I-Era Family Photos

New Jersey, Washington D.C., 1922. Softcover. Good. Oblong small quarto. Measuring 11" x 7". String-tied brown paper. Contains 271 sepia toned or black and white gelatin silver photographs measuring between ½" x ½" and 3½" x 6", some with captions. Good only album with some photos obviously removed, others with tears, overall very good photographs.

A family photo album kept between 1913 and 1923. The photos are not in chronological order but span a little over a decade. It appears the compiler was a young man who lived in New Jersey from the few captions that are provided. The album begins with photos from Belmar, New Jersey which include two men standing on a beach. Following this are photos from a trip to Washington, DC with men posed on the steps of a government building. Other photos show family homes, people in swimsuits on the beach, and driving cars. Interspersed throughout the album are photos of men in military uniforms during World War I. One of these reads "Cecil and his squadron," others show men on leave posed with women. Also featured in the album are clippings with images from theatrical productions including one of Lucile La Verne in blackface in the play "Back Pay." Much of the album consists of candids and portraits of family and friends featuring smiling women and men acting goofy. A few of the photos are of women posed in an artistic fashion and in pin-up style including one of two women holding each other with the caption "unnatural love." One photo of a woman named Dot is handcolored and shows her smiling and holding a basketball; another photo shows a woman playing ukulele. The album ends with photos from a beach trip and a photo of a uniformed soldier.

An interesting collection of World War I-era family photos.