(Scrapbook): Woman's Scrapbook over Two Decades with Sorority, Masonic, Christian, and Radical Group Pamphlets and Invitations

South Dakota, 1936. Hardcover. Very Good. Quarto measuring 10" x 7". Orange quarter cloth with tan paper boards with "School memories," embossed in gilt on the front board. Contains 121 gelatin silver black and white or sepia toned photographs measuring between 1" x 0.5" and 6" x 3" with captions. The front board is detached but present with some pages detached from the spine with tears, very good with near fine, lightly faded photographs.

Vera Richards' scrapbook from South Dakota compiled between 1914 through 1936. The album is titled, "School Memories", and is a collection of photographs, paper cutouts, postcards, and other ephemera during different times in the woman's life jumping from school to working as a teacher after graduating. Richards is spoken of as, "a girl of excellent character of good appearance," and, "would be a great addition to any school and community" in a recommendation letter from one of the girls superiors to a potential job. There is a loose newspaper cutout talking about Richard's family hosting a dinner party for friends. In the beginning of the album, Richard's fellow classmate's names, birthdates, and address are written. The book is sectioned off starting with athletics after the empty student autographs section; however there are some teacher's autographs, "Yesterday is gone, today is your opportunity, tomorrow may never come to you." The next section has pictures of several men wearing football uniforms with their names and some information captioned below each player, "Wait till Mac gets mad! Then watch him make a touchdown!" A decorative collection of newspaper and magazine cut outs for each holidays are included in a new section with invitations to parties, "Oh come ye, for the time of your life," with a tiny skeleton dancing. Richards also writes in small notes about the music, food, and guests at each function. A special "Senior Class Day" is written in with cut outs of lavender and name tags affixed to the page. Richards writes about the day being a celebration for the older students of the school and that the colors were, "lavender and white cream cake".

A clubs and societies page shows an invitation to a Ku Klux Klan party which reads, "The K. K. Klan requests the pleasure of your company for a party," which Richard's writes she had a "grand farewell" to a member leaving the state. Richard's was a part of the Young Women's Christian Association as well as the Epworth League, American band of Mercy, and the Order of the Eastern Star, the Masonic body open to men and women. Concert pamphlets are tipped in for school plays and information about Richard's commencement from school. There are sepia and black and white photographs of Richard's and some of friends at a lake and dressed in fashion from the time frame. Several pages are dedicated to "Poor Man's Day" where everyone dresses in historic attire and works as if they were living in the time of the pilgrims. There is a page with her friend's portraits for their graduation, but her photo has been removed. Several newspaper clippings talk about Richard's life from her graduating her college to teaching at Kimball High School and then abruptly talking about her departure from the town. However the album picks back up during her commencement from Spearfish State Normal School. Several photographs show her in her robes, one captioned "sour grapes" and also dressed in a fairy costume, smiling.

Later the album includes pictures of the classes she taught as well as the school buildings and staff members of the schools. She includes report cards, and school event souvenirs like a single napkin with student's compliments to her as a teacher. She keeps her fellow classmates keep sake cards and pictures in envelopes tipped into the scrapbook as well. The last part of the book features pictures of three young children but it is unknown if they are related to Richards. The final page reads, "And now to you, I must bid adieu, and I greatly hope, you're enjoying the look, you have taken in my little book."

An interesting women's scrapbook detailing her school life and later working as a teacher in South Dakota between 1914 and 1936.