Camping in the Early 20th Century

Imagine the lure of the open road at the turn of the 20^th century. With the advent of the motorcar, the whole family could freely explore the wilds that make places like New England so appealing. Places with names like Bretton Woods, Franconia Notch, Kearsage, and the Percy Peaks of the north and New Castle, Arundel and Cape Porpoise of the coast were suddenly within driving range.

At its peak, before the Great Depression, over 10 million tourists were hitting the roads with tents and cook stoves. It is estimated that by the 1920s nearly half of all cars on the road were being used for camping. Some coined it “gypsying” and this romantic camping lifestyle took place along roads so poorly improved the mud was nicknamed “gumbo”. This was independence and family fun at .22 cents a gallon in a car laden with all manner of contraptions and modern innovations to make the trip a success. Thankfully for us, one travel essential these early vacationers brought along was the camera. The images captured create a visual history of that long ago time.

Our first series of rustic photo stationery cards depict a patchwork from that familiar experience of the family vacation. These photographs, circa 1920, create a visual history of an exciting time when the modern era was still new.