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Original 1884 dinner program and menu for the Association of the Old School Boys of Boston, held at the Hotel Vendome on December 4, 1884.
This approximately 6\" x 4\" folded program was produced for a gathering of former pupils of the Boston Public Schools from 1834 and earlier. By the time of this dinner, these former schoolboys were looking back roughly half a century or more on their school days.
A major highlight is the printed “Reunion Song” by Rev. S. F. Smith, D.D. — Samuel Francis Smith, author of “America” (“My Country, ’Tis of Thee”). The song was written around the theme of the aging schoolboys gathering again to remember their youth, classmates and early Boston school days, with a recurring “Auld Lang Syne” refrain.
The program also contains an extensive Gilded Age Hotel Vendome dinner menu, including oysters on the shell, consommé, filet of sole, codfish, tenderloin of beef, roast turkey with chestnut dressing and cranberry sauce, canvas-back duck, Roman punch, Neapolitan ice cream, champagne jelly, Roquefort and Neufchâtel cheese, and numerous other dishes.
The officers page identifies the organization\'s leadership for 1883–84, including:
President — John C. Pratt
Vice-President — John M. S. Williams
Secretary — William H. Dennet
Treasurer — Samuel W. Clifford
Vice-President John M. S. Williams (1818–1886) was a prominent Boston merchant and shipowner associated with Glidden & Williams, an important Boston shipping firm involved in the California trade. Williams also appears in surviving Abraham Lincoln-era correspondence concerning maritime and government affairs.
The program additionally lists nine directors and identifies the historic Boston schools attended by the officers and directors, including High, Eliot, Mayhew, Adams, Franklin, Boylston, Latin, Hawes, Bowdoin and Hancock.
Printed by E. Stanton, Stationer, 3 Park Street, Boston.
An unusual piece combining Boston public-school history, Samuel Francis Smith, maritime merchant John M. S. Williams, Hotel Vendome history, Victorian dining and 19th-century alumni ephemera.
Size
Approximately 6\" x 4\" folded.
Condition
Original 1884 program with expected age toning, scattered light spotting/foxing and minor edge and corner wear. Interior printing remains strong and legible. Please review all photographs for exact condition.
