Today's Tidbit... A Picture-Perfect Day at Marietta

Here's a fun set of pictures from a Thanksgiving 1908 game between Marietta and Denison. Each image is an RPPC I acquired 110+ years after they went on sale.

As a reminder, Real Photo Postcards (RPPCs) were the social media posts of the previous century's first decade or two. Local photographers snapped pictures of the games, the stands, individuals, or buildings and printed the images on postcard stock. Soon after the game, college students bought them at the bookstore or local shop to send a quick note to family and friends.

RPPCs frequently had images of fans in the stands or standing along the sidelines and were used much like selfies today. Students found their picture in an image, circled or placed an X above their faces to prove they were at the big game and mailed them to whomever they needed to impress. 

The image of the chain gang and fans in the stands does not have markings because the sender made a quiz or game of the image, asking the recipient to find the members of the Mack family and Gertrude St. Clair. (Anyone who can identify those folks gets a special prize.)

Likewise, the next crowd shot shows folks on the visitors' side of the field that lacked bleachers and depended on a rope to keep people from walking onto the field.

Finally, we have a game-action photo with Marietta on defense as Denison runs off tackle to the offensive right. Marietta shut down Denison most of the day since they won 23-0, allowing Marietta to finish the season 6-2, with losses to Pitt (7-0) and West Virginia (12-0).

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