Between the Covers

Hardcover. Oblong folio measuring 15" x 12". String-tied green cloth over stiff paper boards with a handwritten title on the front board. Contains 640 black and white or sepia-toned gelatin silver photographs measuring between 2.5" x 3" and 5" x 7" with captions, as well as a few color images. The album is very good with worn edges with near fine photographs.

A photo album kept by a Massachusetts family between 1939 and 1955 self titled "Home and Alfoat." The expansive album covers numerous trips and family outings and focuses on nautical excursions. The photos begin with “first flight” and shows a flight “to New Orleans from Charlotte NC via Atlantic GA – all taken out of plane with Leica camera.” These photos show aerial shots of the trip to New Orleans with captions which read, “see how people live and move,” “sluggish river,” and “above Montgomery.” Once in New Orleans they immediately visited a dock and took photos of the boats and ships they found there including yachts and the Southern Yacht Club. Following this there are photos of the family headed to New London and Marblehead on a ship as part of a boat race. The captions for these events discuss the jobs of all the members of the “crew” and discussing the race and trip. One photo is captioned, “Pudge takes out screw shackles;” another shows the group sitting on deck and reads “crew at work.” They also took leisurely boat rides to New York and Martha’s Vineyard. One photo in this section is captioned “Anthony Fokkers ill-fated cruiser on Buzzards Bay” which was taken shortly before his death. They photographed and attended numerous boating competitions one of which was the Cape Cod Championship at Wenaumet Bluffs another was the Labor Day races. When they weren’t boating they were enjoying other sports including ice skating and skiing. The captions here cheekily discuss the goings on with observations such as “feet together mouth open” under a skiing photo. The album continues with well composed photos from their boating trip showing boats out to sea, swimming, and people working on the ships. One section of photos shows their house being built from foundation to fully constructed. The winter after the house was completed is shown in one page of color photographs from 1946. The album continues with photos of more races, smiling crew members, and visiting friends and family. They finish in 1955 with a cruise on their ship the Ayesha in Nantucket.

An extensive collection of boating and family photography spanning over 15 years.

Item #411080