Annual 1907 Commencement Program (1 results)

Condition: Near Fine. A high school yearbook that is probably an early example of a high school yearbook resembling in many ways the general format that prevails today yet in its quiet Art Nouveau style, something quite different from what is issued today. It also has some of the characteristics of a literary magazine, with pieces contributed by writers who weren't students, and embellishing the catalogue are delightful some delightful caricatures that also weren't by students. Even the cover is something apart -- one would think this was an elite magazine, not a yearbook. 4to. 28 by 20 cm. Unpaginated, 59 leaves. Most leaves are a fairly thick textured manila, with eight brown leaves of a stiffer paper, but also smoother paper. Fourteen pages are of students, with small photos of the students laid onto the paper, but the brief description of the particular student printed on the base paper. In terms of literary content, there are six stories, five of which are written by members of the graduating class, and at least seven poems -- as these include two pages of limericks, we are not sure how to count such. Plus there are other bits and pieces that exude a literary approach. By a conservative count, though, the literary portion accounts for minimally over forty pages. Activities take up eleven pages. Among the quaint details here are the spelling of football as two words, and the one event described, as opposed to a team sport or other extracurricular activity, is the Senior Hop, which is illustrated with humorous vignettes of mechanical stick figures. Photos generally are mounted onto the paper. 24 pages of advertisements in the back, with two advertisers having mounted photos. Also included is a folded sheet Commencement Program for the class, with a short inked inscription, now stapled closed and some collected leaves kept within, probably there for over a century. A few closed tears along the edges of the binding. This we regard as an example of the light wear of this overwhelmingly clean early high school yearbook. One photo advertising Wabash College is crooked -- we think it might have always been so. "Wraps" -- Pliable card with surface redolent of chamois. Stab binding with tasseled string. Three holes.