Homes of Geneva Thompson Porter

378 Goundry, North Tonawanda.  Photo courtesy of and owned by the Historical Society of the Tonawandas.

Geneva Thompson Porter and her husband Peter spent much of the 1920s on ocean liners, traveling throughout Europe, North Africa, and the Far East. The Rare Book Room holds 3 of Geneva's diaries, describing her 1922, 1927, and 1929 European and North African excursions, covering some 81 cities in 15 countries. But when the Porters weren’t traveling, they spent time at their residences in Western New York and Rhode Island.

Travel Advertisements

Remember when travel was glamorous?  The field of advertising and mass-circulated magazines exploded in the prosperous 1920s, and the luxury and excitement of travel was a key feature in ads from this era. Click "Read more" below to view more advertisements.

"The summer season in Venice...."  From L'Illustration, 1920s.

Greetings to Buffalo!

The Rare Book Room holds thousands of antique and modern postcards, dating from the late 1800s to the 1990s. The collection began at the old Grosvenor and Buffalo Public libraries. Most were not posted; however, some have messages sent from travelers abroad to loved ones in Buffalo. A small portion dating from the 1920s and 30s is on display here. Click on each image for a larger view.

Postcard from Cairo, Egypt. H.W.W. to Miss Emily M. Williams, February 7, 1935.

Postcard from Heidelberg, Germany. George to Jerome Wereck, July 19, 1937.

Postcard from Paris, France. Sent to Betty Williams, January 17, 1924.

Postcard from Venice, Italy. Grace R. Bials to Mrs. Lawrence Allen.

Pineapple...the Brazilian Way

In October, 1941, H. Phelps Clawson set out for Brazil. He often kept modest diaries during his travels, and this trip was no different. Endlessly curious and observant, Phelps loved the way his pineapple was served "the Brazilian way" and noted so in his diary:

Brazilian diary, page 5 detail.

Read H. Phelps Clawson's Brazilian travel diary.
Learn how to make your own pineapple boat, the Brazilian way!

Exhibit is Open!

Travelers and Cosmopolitans is open!  The exhibit is open during regular hours at Central in the Rare Book Room.  Check out the Exhibit page for more images.

Before...

...After

Exhibit Sneak Peek!

Travelers and Cosmopolitans opens on Wednesday, February 2.  Although installation is not yet complete, take a look at what we've done so far...

Under Construction

The latest Rare Book Room exhibit Travelers and Cosmopolitans: the Tourist is the Other Fellow will run from February 2 to May 29, 2011.


Check back after February 2 for posts, expanded exhibit content, photos, vintage travel diaries, and more!