Tag Archives: student

Three 1900s Carrington N.D. university students in their busy room

Fraternity room. RPPC. Private Collection.

Carrington, North Dakota, university students. RPPC. Private Collection.

I love indoor shots, especially when they show how photographs were displayed.  These three students are most likely standing in their fraternity house’s common room or dormitory. Besides the three subjects there are three cabinet photos on the dresser behind them, with a clock in the middle.  In the mirror above is the reflection of a cuckoo’s clock on the opposite wall (a little hard to see unless you use a looking glass). There’s also a display of real photo postcards on the back wall; street views, mountain views, greeting cards. I can’t help but think this was their “Facebook wall”. :)

And you have the lace curtains on the window along with their two banners, one facing indoor and the other facing outside for everyone to see. The last word on that one looks to be Merris.

The RPPC is divided with no stamp box. I believe this was taken in the mid to late 1900s.


Coffee is what he really needs

Cramming for the finals. Snapshot. Private Collection.

Late night studying. Snapshot. Private Collection.

A candid of what I imagine is a university student taking notes from an open binder. The photographer seems to have caught him with a look of slight panic on his face.

The window’s open to a nighttime sky; cramming for some exam and not seeing the end of the tunnel yet? This picture reminds me of the student at desk from 3 to 4 decades earlier in 1912. It’s interesting to see what has changed.


A 1912 September day in the study

September 1912 young man at desk. RPPC. Private Collection.

A studious looking gent at his desk, his coats and hats hanging behind him, and with a pile of books stacked by the wall. There’s an ink bottle on the table, and the calendar dates this picture to September 1912. The window is open with the blinds closed to shield the room from the sun.

He seems to be gazing off, wishing to look serious. I love indoor pictures like this. I find there’s always so much to look at.


A tall German student with book. Card with sleeve and envelope

Detail of student by Albert Eisele. Cabinet photo/CDV. Private Collection.

Detail of student by Albert Eisele. Cabinet photo/CDV. Private Collection.

I am thrilled to add this card to my collection. It feels like a CDV but the dimensions are narrower and longer (2″ x 5″), and best of all, it came with the original sleeve and envelope, something which is quite rare to find. And it doesn’t hurt that this is a looker!

Photographer: Albert Eisele. NEUWIED a. Rh. Germany.

John D. Rockefeller’s ancestors are from Neuwied. I learn something new every day.

Creative Commons License
Digital restoration work titled A Tall German Student With Book by Caroline C. Ryan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.


An early 1860s frowning student with books

CDV of student with books. Private Collection.

1862-1863 CDV of student with books. Private Collection.

A Civil War era nice little CDV of a literate boy posing with a few books on a small round table by him. He’s wearing the classic baggy coat of the period, but this one only has one round button by the collar.

Photographer: D.D. Wright & Son, Hamilton.


%d bloggers like this: