Archive Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Photograph album of May Day pageants at Virginia College |
Dates of Creation |
1916-1928 |
Scope & Content |
This album contains photographs of May Day programs staged by the students of Virginia College during the period 1916-1928. These programs or pageants were standard fare at women's colleges each spring, the high point of each pageant being the crowning of the Queen of the May. Each pageant typically featured a large cast engaged in dancing, singing, and some elocution. The basic theme of the pageants at Virginia College was the change of seasons; however, every year a new and somewhat different pageant was written and choreographed. In 1916 a spring maiden strayed through the woods attempting to evade the winter winds and answer the call of summer. In 1918 the production focused on the "reawakening" of spring. The pageants were well attended and the wooded campus of Virginia College provided a natural environment for dancers dressed as wood nymphs, water nymphs, April showers, summer breezes, brownies, elves, mushrooms, flowers, the sun, and the wind. Tableaux featuring young ladies dressed in diaphanous clothing and gossamer drapery were common.. In 1922 the program closed with the participants grouped in pageant form making a tableau while singing "Under the Greenwood Tree". During the war years there were patriotic elements in the pageants. In 1918 the May Queen was called upon to rescue Uncle Sam and Democracy by "The Need of the Hour" dressed in a Red Cross Uniform. The photographs were taken by Philip H. Trout, an amateur photographer, who resided in Old Southwest at 502 King George Avenue, Roanoke, Virginia. Some that were published in local newspapers are included as photographs and as newspaper clippings. Information regarding the May Day programs at Virginia College was obtained from copies of "The Roanoke Times" and "The Roanoke World News" provided by the Virginia Room of the Roanoke Public Library. |
Year Range from |
1916 |
Creator |
Trout, Philip H. |
Year Range to |
1928 |
Subjects |
Albums Breezes Brownies Clothes Clothing & dress Colleges Colleges, Women Dancers Dances Dancing Drapery Elves Flowers Girls Maidens May days Mushrooms Nymphs Pageants Programs Queens Seasons Showers Tableaux Women Woods |
Search Terms |
"Under the Greenwood Tree" "Winter", The Seasons King George Avenue May Day Red Cross Roanoke Public Library Roanoke Times Roanoke World-News Uncle Sam Virginia College Virginia Room |
People |
Trout, Philip H. |
Event |
May Day |
Collection |
History Museum of Western Virginia |
Imagefile |
023\20093601.JPG |
Number of images |
2 |
Object Name |
Album, Photograph |
Object ID |
2009.36.01 |
Extent of Description |
6" x 8" paper album containing paper pages with photographs and newspaper clippings. |