[Western Photographica]

[Partially-Annotated Vernacular Photograph Album and Scrapbook Documenting a Prominent Detroit Family's Travels to California, Texas, Louisiana, and Canada]

[Various locations. 1918-1920. [48] leaves, profusely illustrated with 428 photographs, between 1.75 x 2.5 inches and 3.25 x 5.5 inches, many captioned on the borders of the photos or the album pages, plus numerous picture postcards, theater, music, and church programs, calling cards, newspaper clippings, and other assorted ephemera. Oblong folio. Contemporary crimson cloth memory album, string-tied, "My Memory Book" stamped in gilt on front cover. Moderate edge wear and dust-soiling to covers. Internally nice. Very good. Item #2434

A delightful family photograph album and scrapbook likely assembled by Alice Malcomson, née Schofield, the second wife of coal dealer Alexander Young Malcomson. This prominent Detroit family made its fortune through Alexander Malcomson's early bankrolling of a fledgling outfit called the Ford Motor Company. The travel-specific photographs document the family's trips to numerous locations in California; Galveston, Texas; New Orleans, Louisiana; and Canada between 1918 and 1920. In addition to the natural wonders the Malcomsons encountered, they also snapped numerous pictures of family, friends, and locals they met along the way.

The lion's share of the travel pictures emanate from California, though some of the most interesting pictures are the handful that relate to the Shingwauk Indian Residential School in Ontario. Three images of young girls depict "Little Indian Children" in simple dresses posed on the lawn. One of the buildings is labeled "Indian Hospital." Another image on the next page features "Little Indian Boy and White Friend." There are also images of the Shingwauk Indian Church and two shots of the Shingwauk cemetery.

The California photographs feature locations such as Venice, Laguna Beach, Santa Monica, Rubio Canyon, Pasadena, and several churches including the Church of Christ in Long Beach, the San Gabriel Mission, the Central Christian Church, the Temple Baptist Church, and the annual religious pilgrimage to Mount Rubidoux. The photographs also include numerous shots of ships in the Soo Locks, Pine Lake, military formations, Armistice Day parades in Detroit, three postcards showing panoramic views of various Galveston locations, a girl riding an ostrich, and a handful of photos from Tijuana, Mexico.

The California sections also include menus for the California Mission Inn and Hotel Vosburg, with clippings of prayers occasionally peppering the album. Some of the news clippings relate to the Malcomson family, while the other ephemeral pieces include Alice Malcomson's driver's license from 1920 and an 1872 marriage certificate from Alice's family, the Schofields.

Price: $1,250.00