Ever wonder what it would be like to hop on a trolley and cruise around Boston as it was over 100 years ago? That's a pretty specific daydream, but we've got you covered nonetheless.
This rare footage from 1903 provides a window through time. To give you some context, the Ottoman Empire was still around in 1903. That was the year of the first Tour de France race and the creation of the first teddy bear. Women did not have the right to vote. Shot by the Edison Film Company, preserved by the Northeast Historic Film and showcased by YouTube user Jim Dorman, this film is may be the earliest professional footage of Massachusetts in existence.
The streets of Boston are filled with horse-drawn buggies. Ladies in long dresses and gigantic hats walk primly down the sidewalks while the camera pans to take in the milling crowds of businessmen and shoppers crowding the streets. There are some familiar sites. A Jordan Marsh store makes an appearance, as well as the Boston Public Library and Beacon Street.
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Warning: this video features some of the most soothing background music you'll ever encounter. Grab a cup of coffee or something before playing, or you may find yourself lulled into a pleasant stupor.
What did you think of the footage? Did you recognize the route?
Are you looking for a unique activity near Boston? What about something that evokes our shared history? In recent years, this long-forgotten pastime has seen a surprising resurgence. Tintype photography almost disappeared after the 1930s, but local artists today are finding new beauty in the medium, leading modern Bay Staters to embrace this once-extinct style of photography.
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Tintype photography produces an image on a thin metal sheet, making the pictures durable and long-lasting. The technique was most popular in the 1860s and 1870s, and although some artists continued to use the form as late as the Jazz Age, it largely disappeared.
Still, in a period when portraiture was primarily an elite privilege, tintype was revolutionary. Historians credit the technique with democratizing portraits, allowing working people to capture images of their friends and family, pictures they could treasure and pass on. Thanks to tintype photography, we can gaze back in time to the faces, clothing, and daily routines of regular Americans.
With the advent of iPhone cameras, which have made it possible to immediately see— and critique— photos of ourselves and others, it might seem surprising that such an antiquated form of photography has taken off.
But people are clearly ready for a different approach to portraiture, one that produces a tangible object they can cherish and display. In the past several years, tintype photography studios have sprung up across the state.
Evoke Tintype near Boston, for instance, has grown into a thriving company despite using a Civil War-era technique. The studio sells still-life images, but it's portraits that earn it the most business.
Using a 1940s Deardorff camera, artists Maureen Feeley and Dave Caramello produce arresting images of couples, individuals, and even pets. Their photos have a timeless quality. Shot this way, subjects can see themselves outside our fleeting, present-day beauty standards. For the camera-shy (I'm raising my hand here), the experience can be revelatory. For the first time, they're gifted a photo of themselves they actually like. One reason for this is that tintypes are reversed images, reflecting people as they see themselves in the mirror.
If you're looking for a unique activity near Boston, I recommend investigating local tintype studios like Evoke in nearby Revere. This long-lost photographic technique has seen a recent resurgence, reflecting people's desire for images they can cherish and a growing exhaustion with the disposability of smartphone pictures. Whether you're visiting from out of town or a long-time local, I recommend adding this activity to your Massachusetts bucket list.
As one of the original colonies, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts was the first for many things in America. It was home to the first Thanksgiving, the first university (Harvard), the first public park (Boston Common), and the first post office, among other firsts. Did you know that Massachusetts was also home to the first public school in America? And it's still in use today. Let's learn more about Boston Latin School, the most historic school in Massachusetts.
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The year was 1635 when Boston Latin School was established. It was the very first public school in Massachusetts as well as in the nation. It preceded the establishment of the United States
This school started as a secondary school for boys only and was opened to prepare students for college. Over the years, the school had a few students who became notable historical figures including John Hancock and Samuel Adams.
The Free Grammar School located in Boston, England was what the Boston Latin School was modeled after. Its curriculum was humanities-based and both the Latin and Greek languages were taught.
While the location of the school has changed over the centuries, its curriculum has kept many of its core values in its Classics Program. Today, Boston Latin School resides at 27 School Street in Boston.
Did you know that Massachusetts was home to the first public school in America? Did you happen to go to Boston Latin School, the most historic school in Massachusetts? Let us know if you graduated from there in the comments. To learn more, visit the Boston Latin School's website. If you want to read more about Boston Latin School, take a look at the Memorial of Francis Gardner, LL. D.: Late Headmaster of the Boston Latin School, available from our friends at Bookshop.org.
