Primary Source Analysis #2 The Girl Graduate Page 22

Autumn Harrnacker · 2020-10-22T20:35:57.869Z

1. What do you notice? What do you wonder? This page in the scrapbook struck me on a bit of a personal level. I saw the dance part in the corner, and read through it, and was struck by how it really did seem like an advertisement you may see today for a class. I also found it really interesting how they describe what is being taught and how African culture was being taught and toted as something to be proud of, which I feel is a little uncommon for the time. The fact that this is included in the scrapbook does make me wonder why it is included. Perhaps the creator took this class? Or perhaps Khasu's words in it struck her too? 2. Source: The source is a scrapbook made by Marjorie P. Collins, who was a student at Prairie View College. I suspect that this was more meant to be something personal for herself, rather than something that was to be shared with the world, given its status as a scrapbook. The scrapbook itself is from 1925. https://transcription.si.edu/view/16011/NMAAHC-2012_94_0022 3. Context: This scrapbook would have been made just a few years before the Great Depression, in the midst of Prohibition. More women were entering politics and higher education than before, and advertisements were rampant with people seeming to carelessly spend their money, money they may not even have. The advertisement in this page then makes sense, although I do suspect the primary focus was on the dance portion. https://maryklann.wixsite.com/hist110/post/module-15-culture-and-consumption-in-the-1920s 4. Implications/Conclusions: I feel like this scrapbook as a whole gives some insight on to what would have been important to a person living at this time. It humanizes the people living at this time, and while it may not demonstrate much of the events, I feel like these kinds of sources are important for just understanding life and experiences at the time. 5. Discussion Question: What do you think you would have found important in this time? An article about something you care about? An advertisement? Something else?

What do you notice? What do you wonder? This page in the scrapbook struck me on a bit of a personal level. I saw the dance part in the corner, and read through it, and was struck by how it really did seem like an advertisement you may see today for a class. I also found it really interesting how they describe what is being taught and how African culture was being taught and toted as something to be proud of, which I feel is a little uncommon for the time. The fact that this is included in the scrapbook does make me wonder why it is included. Perhaps the creator took this class? Or perhaps Khasu's words in it struck her too?
Source: The source is a scrapbook made by Marjorie P. Collins, who was a student at Prairie View College. I suspect that this was more meant to be something personal for herself, rather than something that was to be shared with the world, given its status as a scrapbook. The scrapbook itself is from 1925. https://transcription.si.edu/view/16011/NMAAHC-2012_94_0022
Context: This scrapbook would have been made just a few years before the Great Depression, in the midst of Prohibition. More women were entering politics and higher education than before, and advertisements were rampant with people seeming to carelessly spend their money, money they may not even have. The advertisement in this page then makes sense, although I do suspect the primary focus was on the dance portion. https://maryklann.wixsite.com/hist110/post/module-15-culture-and-consumption-in-the-1920s
Implications/Conclusions: I feel like this scrapbook as a whole gives some insight on to what would have been important to a person living at this time. It humanizes the people living at this time, and while it may not demonstrate much of the events, I feel like these kinds of sources are important for just understanding life and experiences at the time.
Discussion Question: What do you think you would have found important in this time? An article about something you care about? An advertisement? Something else?

4 Comments

Prof. Klann

Nov 04, 2020

Hi Autumn! The page that you chose to focus on is really interesting. The article on the dance class mixed with the ad for the Repro Associates clinic is a really fascinating peek into the past! I appreciated your comments about the African dance class striking a point of pride in Collins, and maybe that being the reason why she saved it. Maybe she took that class? Scrapbooks are a really compelling source because they can reveal elements of culture and media available to everyone, but also reveal something personal about the owner and how they "curated" the "scraps."