A blog post by Collections Manager Joanna Church. To read more posts by Joanna click HERE.
Julia Friedenwald making sand castles, Atlantic City, circa 1911. Gift of Julia Friedenwald Straus Potts. JMM 1984.23.789
Late August means back-to-school sales, county fairs, friends posting on social media about how much they’re looking forward to fall, and – in my case – last-minute vacations. I myself grew up going to Bethany Beach, Delaware, but us mid-Atlantic residents are lucky in that we have many beaches and resorts to which we can pledge our loyalties. A highly unscientific survey of our photo collections shows that Atlantic City, New Jersey, was a favorite for many Jewish Marylanders in the early 20th century. I enjoy holiday snaps like these because, though the bathing costumes and boardwalks change, in some ways they don’t look all that different from the photos we might take on vacation today. If you, like me, will be going down the ocean* one last time before the summer ends, try recreating some of these views at your beach of choice.
Rosa and Pereth Cohen of Baltimore on the beach, Atlantic City, August 20, 1924. Gift of Milford Siegel. JMM 1987.97.1Members of the Jewish Educational Alliance clearly enjoying their time on the beach, Atlantic City, circa 1920. Gift of Jack Chandler. JMM 1992.231.247A page of the Weinberg family scrapbook, showing a variety of beach and boardwalk activities from a 1911 trip to Atlantic City. Gift of Jan L. Weinberg. JMM 1996.50.27oLeonard Weinberg poses in front of the Steel Pier, Atlantic City, July 1918. Gift of Jan L. Weinberg. JMM 1996.127.35Hopefully these kids had fun during their beach day, but they look like they’re kind of over it now. From a Friedenwald family trip to Atlantic City, circa 1925. Gift of Julia Friedenwald Straus Potts. JMM 1984.23.631And finally, what may be my favorite beach snap in the collection – Harry Friedenwald asleep on the beach, under his straw hat. Unfortunately it’s not clear whether or not he requested that someone bury him in the sand. Atlantic City, circa 1911. Gift of Julia Friedenwald Straus Potts. JMM 1984.23.807
*Confession: this is not a phrase that I grew up with (though I am a native Marylander, I promise!) – apologies if I am using it incorrectly.
