Item #12981 [Manuscript Memory Book and Scrapbook Compiled by Elena Gonzalez, a Young Mexican-American Woman Attending Laredo High School in South Texas During the Roaring Twenties]. Women, Elena Gonzalez, Texas, Education.
[Manuscript Memory Book and Scrapbook Compiled by Elena Gonzalez, a Young Mexican-American Woman Attending Laredo High School in South Texas During the Roaring Twenties].
[Manuscript Memory Book and Scrapbook Compiled by Elena Gonzalez, a Young Mexican-American Woman Attending Laredo High School in South Texas During the Roaring Twenties].
[Manuscript Memory Book and Scrapbook Compiled by Elena Gonzalez, a Young Mexican-American Woman Attending Laredo High School in South Texas During the Roaring Twenties].
[Manuscript Memory Book and Scrapbook Compiled by Elena Gonzalez, a Young Mexican-American Woman Attending Laredo High School in South Texas During the Roaring Twenties].
[Manuscript Memory Book and Scrapbook Compiled by Elena Gonzalez, a Young Mexican-American Woman Attending Laredo High School in South Texas During the Roaring Twenties].
[Manuscript Memory Book and Scrapbook Compiled by Elena Gonzalez, a Young Mexican-American Woman Attending Laredo High School in South Texas During the Roaring Twenties].
[Manuscript Memory Book and Scrapbook Compiled by Elena Gonzalez, a Young Mexican-American Woman Attending Laredo High School in South Texas During the Roaring Twenties].
[Manuscript Memory Book and Scrapbook Compiled by Elena Gonzalez, a Young Mexican-American Woman Attending Laredo High School in South Texas During the Roaring Twenties].
[Manuscript Memory Book and Scrapbook Compiled by Elena Gonzalez, a Young Mexican-American Woman Attending Laredo High School in South Texas During the Roaring Twenties].
[Manuscript Memory Book and Scrapbook Compiled by Elena Gonzalez, a Young Mexican-American Woman Attending Laredo High School in South Texas During the Roaring Twenties].
[Manuscript Memory Book and Scrapbook Compiled by Elena Gonzalez, a Young Mexican-American Woman Attending Laredo High School in South Texas During the Roaring Twenties].
[Manuscript Memory Book and Scrapbook Compiled by Elena Gonzalez, a Young Mexican-American Woman Attending Laredo High School in South Texas During the Roaring Twenties].
Mexican-American High School Girl in a Texas Border Town in 1925

[Manuscript Memory Book and Scrapbook Compiled by Elena Gonzalez, a Young Mexican-American Woman Attending Laredo High School in South Texas During the Roaring Twenties].

Laredo, TX: 1925. [118]pp. of content of various types, including thirty-six photographs (most once in mounting corners but now loose), plus 41pp. of manuscript inscriptions to Gonzalez, an original drawing, and various kinds of mounted ephemeral items. Contemporary scrapbook, 8.75 x 6 inches. Ownership signature on early page. A well-used personal scrapbook, lacking spine and rear cover, front cover detached and with significant wear. Front free endpaper also detached. Some photographs somewhat worn but contents generally sound, though dust-soiled. Good condition overall. Item #12981

A unique record of a young Texas woman, Elena Gonzalez, and her experiences as a senior at Laredo High School in 1925, containing numerous photographs, a legion of manuscript messages to her from fellow students, and dozens of ephemeral items related to her educational experiences in a prominent Texas border town. The book includes thirty-six photographs which mainly picture Gonzalez and her fellow students in individual portraits, small groups, and class photos, almost always in outdoor settings. The photos also include two slightly larger studio portraits of Gonzalez, each measuring about 8 x 5 inches.

The work also includes about forty pages of manuscript inscriptions from fellow students to Gonzalez, dated mostly in March and April, 1925. Many of the messages take up most or all of an entire page, with Gonzalez's classmates sharing memories, funny stories, good wishes for the future, and so forth. Interestingly, but not surprising considering where Elena lived, several of the manuscript inscriptions are written in Spanish. In addition to the personal inscriptions to Gonzalez, the book also contains an eleven-page "Prophecy of the Class of 1925" handwritten by Phyllis Ellis, "Prophet of Class of '25." The prophecy was "read in the Laredo High School Auditorium, Thursday night, May 21, 1925 by the writer." Ellis's prediction for Elena is as a model for the Tar Soap Company "to pose for magazine pictures showing the benefits of their products to one's hair." The photographs and manuscript elements are complemented by various kinds of ephemeral items, including calling cards, programs, program clippings, mementos from school events, clippings from school publications and newspapers (including numerous jokes and funny story clippings in both English and Spanish), and so forth. Though the condition of the memory book has seen better days, the fact that it survives at all is a feat in itself. A wonderful primary source for Mexican-American life in the borderlands.

Price: $1,750

Add to Cart Ask a Question Add to Wish List
See all items by , , ,