Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Object Identification Number |
2003.010.004 |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Donor |
Juhl, Richard and Rita |
Description |
Color photograph of Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN Reading Circle Picnic held in 1971. A group of elderly men are seated on lawn chairs outside in a yard. Six men are seated and one man is standing in the center. In the background are shrubs, trees, a clothesline, a wooden fence, a red barn with white trim, the back of a red house, and a long sloping rooftop with screened side. Printed along the right edge of the photograph is the date "Aug 71". The backside of the photograph has the handwritten words (in black ink) of "Minneapolis/St. Paul, Mn / Reading Circle Picnic 1971 / Donated by- / Dick & Rita Juhl". Going across the back diagonally in light blue-gray letters is the watermark "A KODAK PAPER". |
Print Size |
5 x 3 7/16 |
Creation Date |
1971 |
Place of Creation |
USA/Minnesota/Minneapolis/St. Paul |
Associated People |
Gantriis, Jens Gantriis, Carl Nielsen, Mathis |
Search Terms |
Gantriis, Jens Gantriis, Carl Nielsen, Mathis Picnic Læsekredsen Reading Circle St. Paul, Minnesota Minneapolis, Minnesota club book club Kodak farm |
Subjects |
Reading Circle Group/Læsekredsen/Picnic |
Provenance |
According to the back, this photograph was taken in 1971 in Minneapolis or St. Paul at the Reading Circle Picnic. Notes from the donor in the accession file identify the man wearing the cap in the lower left-hand corner as Jens Gantriis, the man in lower right-hand corner with a light blue shirt and clasped hands as Mathis Nielsen, and the man in lower right-hand corner wearing a hat and looking to the right of the camera as Carl Gantriis. Information gathered from essays by Olaf Juhl and Richard Juhl: The reading circle, Læsekredsen, began around 1926. In the early years the group would meet at members' homes; later they met at the Young People's Home and the Danish Center when the group became larger. A committee selected Danish and English books for the group to read, usually contemporary best sellers or classics. There were few copies of each book, so they had to be passed from member to member. The books and the author were discussed and critiqued. Additionally, the group commonly had lecturers come to speak about various subjects, including the Minneapolis mayor Hubert Humphrey and Grand View College's Dr. Johannes Knudsen and A.C. Nielsen. Richard Juhl recounts being amazed that although most members had no education beyond the 8th grade, they were very eager to learn about and discuss various topics. The group also socialized and ate at the meetings. Food included open-face sandwhiches; bread with Colby, tilsit, or Tybo banquet cheese; and æbelkage; with coffee served as well. Singing was an important part of the socializing Richard characterizes the meetings as having four purposes: to discuss literature, listen to a speaker, socialize, and eat. Eventually membership fell and the club was disbanded in the 1960s or early 1970s. At its peak in the 1930s and 1940s, there were about 40-50 members. There is a partial list of members in 2003.010.005 and .006 (a copy is in the file). |
Images |
061\2003010004.JPG |
Accession number |
2003.010 |
Collection |
Danish Communities / Minnesota |