Month: February 2018

The Ladies of Riverton’s Bezique Club

One of the most intriguing photos of old Riverton I have seen is this cabinet card with the caption, “Bezique Club” on the back.

I say intrigued because I had to look it up.

bezique
bəˈzēk/ noun:
  1. a trick-taking card game for two, played with a double pack of 64 cards, including the seven to ace only in each suit.
  2. the holding of the queen of spades and the jack of diamonds in this game.
antique Bezique set c. 1895 UK

A google search of “bezique” resulted in images of vintage and modern Bezique playing card sets as well as instructions and tutorials for playing variations of the game.

Czar Nicholas II and Alexandra played Bezique.

Winston Churchill, Tolstoy, and the Lord Alfred Duke of Edinburgh played it.

Well, not together.

Gustave Caillebotte, “Game of Bezique,” 1880

Gustave Caillebotte’s painting, Game of Bezique, depicts four 19th-century upper-class French gentlemen crowding around a card table observing two other gentlemen playing the trick-taking card game.

Bezique set box, c1895

We may reasonably conclude from the photo and the following news clippings that some women folk of Riverton also came to enjoy the Royal Game of Bezique during the last years of the 19th century.

a typical society column banner for the Philadelphia Inquirer

The first mention of the Bezique Club in the society columns of the Philadelphia Inquirer appeared on February 14, 1897, when Mrs. Spackman entertained the Bizque Club at her home on the 13th.

Philadelphia Inquirer, Feb 14, 1897, p39

“Mrs. Cowperthwaite entertained the Besique club on Thursday afternoon.” – The Weekly News (Palmyra), Nov 20, 1897, p2

The Weekly News, Nov 20, 1897, p2

The Weekly News reported on December 4, 1897, that “Mrs. Cornelius entertained the Besique Club on Thursday afternoon.”

The Weekly News, Dec 4, 1897, p2

Two weeks later on December 19, the Philadelphia Inquirer announced, “The Misses Cook (presumably sisters L. and J.) entertained the members of the Bezique Club at their home on Main street on Thursday afternoon.

December 19, 1897, Philadelphia Inquirer, p37

(Apparently, the spelling of bezique baffled some journalists of the day.)

Mrs. Frishmuth entertained the Besique Club on Thursday.” – The Weekly News, Jan 15, 1898, p2

The Weekly News, Jan 15, 1898, p2

The Philadelphia Inquirer told of Mrs. Edwin H. Fitler‘s attendance to the Thursday, February 12, 1898 meeting of the Bisque Club. The Weekly News explained that the club had full attendance at Dr. Hall‘s. A Mrs. Hall is pictured in the group photo.

Philadelphia Inquirer, Feb 13, 1898, p37
The Weekly News, Feb 12, 1898, p2

The Inquirer noted the attendance of Mrs. William S. Poulterer, of Philadelphia, to the Thursday, October 22, 1898 meeting of the Besique Club in Riverton. According to The Weekly News, Mrs. Spackman and the Misses Campbell hosted the meeting.

Philadelphia Inquirer, October 23, 1898, p29
The Weekly News, Oct 22,1898, p2

The last news we found of the club was for the winter of 1898-1899.

Mrs. Edwin H. Fitler journeyed again from Philadelphia to Riverton for the card game on December 17.

Philadelphia Inquirer, Dec 18, 1898, p3

A month later, on January 21, 1899, Mrs. Cowperthwait entertained the club in her home for another Thursday meeting.

Philadelphia, Inquirer, Jan 22, 1899, p11

Names of card players are on the front, but one is illegible. Any guesses?

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We welcome any additional information about the Bezique Club and its members that will further illuminate the everyday life of this borough’s inhabitants over a century ago.
-JMc

Sheet music collector Sandy Marrone struck a chord at January HSR meeting

Cinnaminson resident, Sandy Marrone, shared a sampling from her private collection of 600,00 pieces of American sheet music dating from the 19th century through the present at the HSR meeting January 17, 2018. The program included a wide range of topics, sometimes serious and sometimes humorous.

HSR Board member Susan Dechnik introduced her friend Sandy Marrone

Of special interest is anything historical that focuses on actual events such as elections. One such selection is How Could Washington Be a Married Man And Never Tell A Lie, though this was written in more modern times.

Also of historical interest are disasters such as the sinking of the Titanic, the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby, and songs about war.

Songs about food are fun and funny; I’ll Make The Pies Like Mother Makes If You’ll Make the Dough Like Dad.

Animal music is full of humor; I’d Rather Stay Home With Mickey Mouse, Than Go Out With A Rat Like You.

Some of the sheet music she displayed is appreciated for its visual design and beauty as well as topic.

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The informative, educational, and thoroughly entertaining Sandy Marrone

Sandy’s comments and telling of anecdotes added sparkle and insight to each piece of sheet music. The famous George M. Cohan song, You’re A Grand Old Flag, was originally titled You’re A Grand Old Rag. He wrote it after seeing a tattered American flag. Controversy and criticism about the title forced the change to the title we all know.

In Sandy’s words, “I try to educate and inform about the variety of topics and history found in sheet music.” She dipped into her collection and shared a sample that was informative and entertaining.  – Mrs. Susan Dechnik

Early 1900s works of a Riverton artist still endure a century later

HSR Board member Roger Prichard saw this eBay auction for a scrapbook compiled by Jane Hovey Allen Boyer (1875-1940), a former Riverton resident.

Boyer was a book illustrator, prize-winning artist, and served twice as Porch Club president (1921).

The New Era, Aug 8, 1940, p4

She and her husband Murray C. Boyer lived for decades at 304 8th Street and played active roles in Riverton’s social and civic life.

Despite earning a reputation as a children’s book illustrator and teaching art classes at the Porch Club, her 1940 obituary makes no mention of her artistic achievements.

I think Roger is concerned that some ancestor might wish to get this scrapbook because there are many family photos and genealogical information in it.

I suspect that the Easthampton, MA-based eBay seller obtained it from an estate sale or home cleanout. I doubt any living descendant would discard such a unique record noting births, marriages, and deaths in a family tree going back to the 1600s. Perhaps the family line just played out and there is no one left to tend to memories of the family.

Jane Allen Boyer illustration from Mary Frances Cookbook

What is kind of incredible is that Jane Allen Boyer is not just some obscure and forgotten artist, but her works still enjoy an audience almost eighty years after her passing.

The Internet Archive has several books she illustrated available for viewing. Jane Eayre Fryer authored a series of Mary Frances books for children during the early 1900s, and Jane Allen Boyer illustrated most of them.

The preface for Mary Frances First Aid Book, published in 1916, states, “This book is for every boy and girl who hopes to render first-aid to the sick or injured — in time of peace — in time of war — at all times in the service of our country.”

A facsimile reprint of The Mary Frances Sewing Book (1913 Edition) is preserved on Open Library.

Incredibly, a 100th Anniversary Edition Story-Instruction Sewing Book with Doll Clothes Patterns for American Girl and Other 18-inch Dolls is available for sale on Amazon over a century since its original publication.

The Quaker Boy on the Farm and at School, also available on the Internet Archive, published in 1908, looks at the social life, customs, and education experienced by a typical young member of the Society of Friends in the 19th century.

Project Gutenberg displays two books, The Mary Frances Cook Book and The Mary Frances Knitting and Crocheting Book, in several formats, including a free Kindle version.

Walmart today sells poster-size prints of one of Boyer’s illustrations for The Mary Frances Cook Book. Etsy sellers get in on the renewed interest in the use of Jane Allen Boyer’s vintage images as digital clipart.

If you own any art by Jane Allen Boyer or have more information on her, please leave a comment or contact us by email.  -JMc