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Up for sale is a deeply compelling, thoroughly traceable early-20th-century photo album and postcard archive documenting a tight-knit fraternal social circle in Scranton, Pennsylvania (Lackawanna County), between 1909 and 1918. Unlike anonymous antique albums, this volume contains a wealth of names, addresses, postmarks, and internal student jokes that completely unlock the identity of its owners: the Rittenhouse Family of 339 Madison Avenue in Scranton’s historic Hill Section. The album primarily tracks the youth, school days, and courtships of brothers Thomas and James C. Rittenhouse.Historical & Photographic Highlights Include:Scranton Central High School History: Features rare, crisp blue cyanotype snapshots of the young men casually lounging on the stone walls and iron railings directly in front of the iconic Scranton Central High School building."Central's War Lords" Satire: Includes a brilliant photo with a handwritten note on the reverse reading "Brooke picture of Central's War Lords. Stan," capturing the group mockingly acting as global diplomats around an ornate garden table.The Pharmacy / Medical Trade Angle: Features a fascinating professional class portrait of the young men in matching formal suits, alongside an outdoor snapshot showcasing one of the group members on his professional route, posing proudly next to an early cast-iron U.S. Mail Package drop box with business ledgers under his arm. A reflection in a shop window explicitly captures a local "PHARM—" (Pharmacy) storefront .WWI Military Transition: Captures the dramatic shift of the summer of 1918 when the boys were mobilized into the service (James Rittenhouse served as a Corporal in Company B of the 13th Pennsylvania Infantry / 28th Division). Features a sharp loose portrait card of a soldier in full M1911 campaign uniform, jodhpurs, and high leather officer boots.Edwardian Romance & Travel: Tracks the circle's courtships through loose postcards addressed directly to "Mr. Tommy Rittenhouse" at the Madison Ave home, featuring teases about local "moonlight dances." Includes travel postcards mapping their social network to Stroudsburg, PA (1911) and a spectacular tourism card from Walter L. Frick at the gateway of Yellowstone National Park (June 1918).Daily Life & Fashion: Packed with excellent lifestyle cues of the Edwardian era, including high starched collars, newsboy caps, derby hats, long wool coats, neighborhood pets, and a young woman sitting proudly behind the wheel of an early open-top roadster.
Condition Note:The physical album itself is in fair/aged antique condition with fragile page edges and a worn binding. The majority of the primary photographs are glued directly onto the black paper pages as originally compiled by the family, with a handful of loose photo postcards included. It is being sold entirely As-Is as an invaluable, unbroken piece of Northeastern Pennsylvania social and genealogical history.
James's WWI Journey with the "Bloody Bucket"James was born on April 28, 1892. When he left 339 Madison Avenue for the war, his unit—Company B of the 13th Pennsylvania Infantry—was absorbed into the 109th Infantry Regiment, 28th Division. They shipped out to France in May 1918 and were thrown directly into the fiercest combat of the war, including the Battle of Château-Thierry and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. The fighting was so brutal and bloody that the German soldiers gave James's division a famous nickname: the “Iron Division” (later known as the "Bloody Bucket" due to its red keystone patch). James served honorably as a Corporal, survived the trenches, and returned home safely to Pennsylvania.
Contains real photo postcards,photos and cyanotype.
