1928 Women’s Geography Field Trip & “The Censor” Photographs

Item Details

1928

Two photographs depicting women enjoying travel in the early 1900s:

• 8”x10” photo that captures a traveling summer school expedition organized by the University of Nebraska's geography department, likely for aspiring schoolteachers. The university’s independent Geography Department was established in 1928 by Dr. Nels A. Bengtson, who was heavily involved in the National Council for Geographic Education, an organization aimed at training schoolteachers and improving geography curricula. The women are lined up in front of their open-air bus, with “Fern Breazeale” in the middle marked with an X (see notations on the back). A somewhat scary-looking guard stands at the left—perhaps he also served as footman? The image was taken by the MacDonald Studio in Lincoln. With a 1.5” closed tear at upper left.
• A smaller, 3.5”x5.5” image of seven young women lined up on the beach—six showing their ankles, while one at the end--“The Censor”—looks on disapprovingly (maybe with a hint of a smile). The woman on the other end is dressed flapper-style and is even showing a bit of knee—horrors! With some black scrapbook residue on the back.