Social Visits
Visiting was an important part of society at the turn of the century. Young people spent a lot of time engaging in social activities, spending days on outings or occasionally staying entire weeks away from home with family or friends. This section is dedicated to those who shared that time, representing an interval from about 1900-1915. Those were the years that together, these young people were growing up, attending school, starting to date, and setting the patterns for their life-long interests and relationships.
Outings
When they weren't working, families found time to have fun, with neighbors, friends, relatives and each other. These century-old photos prove people back then were just as obsessed with taking photos of themselves having fun together as selfie-takers are now.
Above: the Reed family's excursion on the Steamer Charles Macalester for Mt. Vernon, ca. 1915. Lewis Reed with his camera, standing on right.
No method of transportation to Mount Vernon was more popular during the early 20th century than riverboat cruises. Throughout the century, the Potomac River was teeming with ships bringing both local residents and out-of-town visitors to George Washington’s historic estate.
Keeping cool in a D.C. summer was a challenge then as it is now!
Above, a group of friends eating cool slices of watermelon on a hot summer's day (Lewis Reed is sitting second from right).
Below, friends cool off with a drink from the water pump.
Lewis Reed fusses with the camera while the ladies get ready for their close-up.
A group of young men hanging out together on a recreational outing. Several are wearing motorcycle riding attire: sporty caps with goggles and full-length boots.
Motorcycle clubs formed in the early 1900s as manufacturers stressed the benefits of outdoor health and social interaction. Both Lewis and Edgar Reed rode motorcycles with a group of friends from the Park Avenue community in Rockville, pictured here in 1912.
For more photographs and information on early-20th-century motorcycle culture, see the Motorcyles page in this exhibit.
Above: Another day with the gang. Edgar Reed is the rider second from left, (up front) with brother Lewis riding behind him.
Left: One Harley Davidson, one Indian, and three Excelsior motorcycles, ready to rip. (Lewis Reed is the man farthest left.)
Relaxing at Home
“If the world had a front porch like we did back then, we’d still have our problems but we’d all be friends.” --Tracy Lawrence
These gatherings of family and friends from the neighborhood reflect the popularity of the front porch and the backyard as casual social gathering places. With shade from the sun and shelter from wet weather, a porch provided a place of respite and relaxation after work and through the evening. Backyards were places to enjoy the fresh air with friendly conversation, or a game of croquet (like the ladies below).
Top: Edgar and Lewis Reed (in the foreground on each side) share their homemade wooden swing with a couple pals.
Above: Lewis Reed (far right) plays hide and seek from the camera with the ladies.
Holidays
4th of July, c. 1914
Reed family gathering for the holiday: Lewis, top left, literally draped in the flag. The rather large and centrally placed indoor plant is a bit of a mystery...
Halloween c. 1914
During this time, there was a push to turn Halloween into a holiday centered around community and neighborhood parties, rather than mischief. Instead of costumes, people wore party clothes accessorized with homemade masks, as the ladies are holding here.