Vernacular Photograph Album And Scrapbook Documenting Anna Bell Fawcett's Trip To Mexico From Texas In 1932

ANNA BELL FAWCETT

Publication: 1932, Texas and Mexico

11" x 9" in contemporary black cloth with title (Ready Gummed Scrapbook) printed in gilt. String tied. 22 leaves illustrated with approximately sixty original photographs and twenty photographic postcards, most in mounting corners but some pasted in, plus numerous assorted ephemeral items either pasted in or laid in. A wonderful vernacular photo album and scrapbook memorializing the Mexican adventures of a young woman from Port Arthur, Texas. Anna Bell Fawcett literally won a popularity contest in the local newspaper and was awarded a trip to Mexico in the company of the runner-up and several other women who had participated in a "popularity election" in cities around Texas. Fawcett documents her trip with numerous original photographs taken on the train journey and in Mexico, photographic postcards, and various ephemeral items, including a folder of photographic negatives, as well as newspaper clippings, pamphlets, menus, railroad timetables, drink labels, ticket stubs, and more. The original and decidedly amateurish photographs capture Mexican street scenes, a river ride, landscapes, a Mexican church in a desolate setting, and more. Some of the photographs were taken in Del Rio. Fawcett even includes news clippings, the official itinerary given to her by the contest promoters, and a manuscript chart in which she tracked the total votes received by her and the runner-up Katherine Wall. The most striking piece of ephemera is a large folded broadside advertising a bullfight in Mexico on July 21, 1932, put on as a benefit for the victims of the recent earthquakes in Jalisco and Colima, which had occurred the previous month. Some scuffing and edge wear to binding. Most leaves detached, with varying levels of chipping and wear, but contents in generally nice condition. Good plus.

Inventory Number: 51035