Collections Item Detail

Scope and ContentAlbum, "Just for Fun": 84 printed black-and-white caricatures of notable Hoboken businessmen, Hoboken, no date, ca. 1907-1916. Oblong book album with brown semi-limp suede cover blind-stamped on front in block lettering: Just for Fun. Perfect bound text block with cover added with a string tie binding (white flat tape, soiled and rotted, probably not original; original was likely a string cord similar to a round shoe string.) Eighty-four leaves, 7-1/4" high x 10-1/4" wide, three-hole punched left margin for cover attachment; white coated paper (coated only on printed side); printed in black; printed recto only with each leaf being drawn artwork depicting one man (no women) to a leaf along with references literal and symbolically to his business and civic pursuits. Appearing alphabetically, all are identified by name. Orientation of image on leaf varies. Artwork is usually initialed and appears to have been produced by more than one artist. The head of each person appears to have been drawn from a photograph or an engraved source as a caricature. Each leaf is catalogued separately by name for index purposes, archives catalog 2005.018.0001.01 to 2005.018.0001.84. See related. Check notes in this record for a complete list of names. Publisher or purpose of this album is not known. It is possible this was created for the Hoboken Board of Trade or that it was accumulated images originally used to illustrate a newspaper series on Hoboken business people. It is tentatively dated from internal evidence such as Martin Daab, Jr.'s image which shows Duke's House as it was rebuilt in 1906-07 (a previous building on the site burned in the late 1905 Terminal fire); Lankering is noted as ex-Mayor (in office 1901-1906); Steil is noted as Mayor (served 1906-1910); automobiles; telephones, hair styles, etc. These items indicate that is from the middle of the 1906-1916 period.