Women’s Education and College Life Maine Photo Album Colby College and University of Maine 1912 to 1920

University of Maine

Archive

Unidentified compiler. Photograph album of women’s education and collegiate life, 1912–1920, documents student experience, leisure activities, and social networks across Maine, including institutions such as Colby College and the University of Maine. The album captures young women’s participation in academic environments alongside outdoor recreation, travel, and community life, situating female education within broader patterns of early twentieth-century mobility and social interaction. The material provides visual evidence of women’s presence in expanding educational institutions and their integration into both structured and informal aspects of student life.

Photograph album. Maine and various U.S. locations, 1912–1920. Quarto format album with 187 silver gelatin photographs mounted across 42 pages, with image sizes ranging from approximately 1.5 x 3.5 inches to 3.5 x 5.5 inches. The photographs depict locations throughout southern Maine, including Portland, Waterville, Lamoine, Boothbay, North Pond, and Ogunquit, along with additional images from Texas, Florida, and New Hampshire. Academic settings are represented through images identified as Colby College, including a figure labeled “Prof. Johnson Colby ’18,” and references to the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity (“Hurrah for A.T.O.”). Additional institutional references include “Nasson Institute 1912,” a women’s school in Springvale, and the Phi Eta Kappa fraternity house at the University of Maine. Human subjects include students and faculty, such as “Dean Hunt,” as well as classmates in graduation attire. Recreational and social scenes include young women snowshoeing, playing tennis, and participating in outings labeled “Picnic to the quarry,” “Clam Bake,” and “Hot Dog Roast.” Automotive travel appears in images of early motorcars, while other photographs depict children in Sunday school groups, bicycle riding, and staged performances of “Pied Piper” and “Red Riding Hood.” Additional images include a man in World War I-era military uniform (“Adrian Old Top”) and an individual identified as “Texas Bill” posing with a biplane. Informal scenes include three girls reading on a rooftop space labeled “The Sun Porch,” with a related image documenting their ascent assisted by a male companion.

The album spans a period of expanding access to higher education for women in the United States, particularly in regional institutions across New England. The inclusion of both coeducational and women-focused institutions reflects the varied educational pathways available during this period. Recreational imagery, including athletics and social outings, demonstrates the integration of leisure into student identity, while references to World War I-era figures situate the album within a broader national context. Original cloth boards with minor wear and three small holes to lower right quadrant of front cover; photographs well-preserved with strong clarity; overall very good condition. A substantial visual record of women’s collegiate and social life in early twentieth-century Maine.

Item #16775

Price: $485.00