UNIV. of MICHIGAN - COLLEGIATE SOROSIS, EARLY 1900s WOMEN'S SORORITY PHOTO ALBUM

Early 1900s photo album measuring 5.75" x 7.5," with 50 leaves/100 pages, about 45 photos in total, black paper, latter half of the album is blank. Cover well-worn but intact with edge wear; no pages torn or photos missing.

The eighth page of this album has a postcard pasted in, of the Collegiate Sorosis Society, at 1501 Washtenaw Avenue (according to one website) in Ann Arbor. This was an early "secret society" on campus. The Fraternity History website franbecque.com has a page about this Society and its unique features; it was one of the first and most historically important of the sororities, which were in turn integral to the nascent women's equality movement. The album itself depicts facets of college life among the sisters of the sorority.

Lovingly assembled, the first item pasted in is a card that reads "With Best Wishes for a Happy Journey" - cryptically, both the 'To' and the 'From' corners are illustrated with a photograph, rather than a name! From a certain young man to a certain young woman is all we know.

The following page contains 15 tiny photos, symmetrically laid out, under the heading "Dramatis Personae". Many photos - about 35 - follow, of a few of the sisters, in lovely white gowns, enjoying campus life: on the water in canoes; around a campfire; climbing rocks; enjoying a round of golf; greeting the young men who come a-calling.

Another page has a clipping with a photo of Alumni Memorial Hall, now utilized as the campus Museum of Art.

Additional information about the Collegiate Sorosis, and the records kept as part of the University's holdings, can be found at findingaids.lib.umich.edu.