Jazz

Six photograph and postcard scrapbook albums recording the voyages and travels of Samuel Trask Dana with his family to attend the General Assembly of the International Institute of Agriculture and the World’s Forestry Congress.

1926 · 45424 — Amherst MA: Samuel T. Dana & Harriet Dana 1926. Six volumes. 4to. 32; 38; 38; 27; 37; 34 leaves; an additional 16 leaves in manuscript in 3 of the albums written by Harriet Dana at age 10. Approx. 300 real photos of Harriet & George Ruth Dana Samuel Dana many street scenes numerous large studio photos tipped-in of sights in Rome Florence Dresden and other areas. Over 450 black & white tipped-in photo postcards many of them real photo postcards a few gold-tone photo postcards; approx. 75 tipped-in colour postcards; two letters of introduction from Yale University Secretary Robert Maynard Hutchins letter of introduction from U.S. Secretary of Agriculture William Marion Jardine who served under Presidents Coolidge and Hoover; printed invitations to the Congress World Forestry Congress credentials numerous programs to operas and theaters in European cities; menus to the S.S. President Harding; Menus for the S/Y Meteor; menus for the conferences; Children’s Tea Menu for the S.S. President Harding; Passenger lists for the United States Lines President Harding; tourist maps pictorial maps manuscript annotations and more. Uniformly bound in pebbled black cloth two-ring binders 1 of them with SS President Harding ribbon stretched around the binding wear & rubbing to the corners bumping to the spines a couple of the binders with hinges starting many of the leaves with wear and some loose at the gutter margin still a remarkable archive. An incredible Jazz Age archive of travel photos ephemera and documents assembled by Samuel T. Dana and his daughter Harriet during the family’s five month trip through Europe for the First World Forestry Congress held in Rome Italy. The albums are filled with documentation and souvenirs from their grand tour through Europe. Included are photos of the participants in the World Forestry conference two of them are of Dana’s subcommittee at the meeting many of the registration credentials letters of introduction as well as invitations to meetings and parties associated with the conference. The Dana family had an audience with the Pope in Rome saw Benito Mussolini visited the major sights of Venice with pictures of young George Dana feeding the pigeons in the Plaza in front of St. Mark’s Cathedral. They attended Verdi’s opera La Traviata featuring the soprano Violetta Valery. From there they traveled through France Switzerland Austria Czechoslovakia Germany Denmark Norway Sweden and Finland. They have included their brochures for visiting assorted museums folk festivals operas in Munich historical sights in Prague the beautiful city of Dresden tramped through all parts of Paris voyaged on the S/Y Meteor of the Norwegian Steamship Lines through Sweden Finland and Norway with the special treat of including their menus for breakfasts lunches dinners and children’s teas great photo of the children for the Captain’s tea on the SS President Harding. The photographs feature street scenes in assorted places views from the top of the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower many of the people they met in their travels and more. Dana met with foresters and visited timber stands throughout northern Europe and Scandinavia.Of particular interest are the many leaves hand-written by the 10-year old Harriet Dana 1916-2011 describing the places they visited her impressions of the sights the many experiences she had as well as very charming notes from family friends tipped-in which were to be opened during their travels. She has annotated many of the postcards and photos. These albums and her impressions offer an invaluable cultural insight into travel during the Jazz Age for the well-to-do. In addition there are several leaves in manuscript written in both pencil and pen of the prices and types of souvenirs purchased throughout Europe including dolls pennants mosaics many lead soldiers a toy loom toy boat decks of cards clothing china and many different types of jewelry. Harriet Merrill Dana Carroll would later attend Swarthmore college graduate from Yale Nursing School in 1941 and eventually retire in Bethesda Maryland in 1986. Samuel Trask Dana 1883-1978 was a world renowned forestry expert who graduated from Yale in 1907 entered the U.S. Forest Service where he began groundbreaking studies in the culture of renewable white pine and paper birch forests. He established several forest experimental stations intended to further research and promote the economic value of forests. He served in World War I and from 1923 to 1927 was the director of the Northeastern Forest Experiment Station in Amherst Massachusetts where his most significant achievement was helping to organize the First World Forestry Conference. This Congress was significant because he succeeded in helping to establish an international body to compile and track forestry resources all over the world. Subsequently he became the first dean of the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources which pioneered many trends in modern forestry. He served as chairman of the U.S. Timber Conservation Board President of the Society of American Foresters was appointed in 1958 by President Eisenhower to serve on the National Outdoor Recreation Review Commission and also studied proposals to preserve California’s redwood forests. Samuel T. Dana & Harriet Dana, hardcover