This vintage scrapbook was created by a World War II-era majorette named Martha Jean Cooper. It is currently for sale on eBay for $1,400.
We did some research and discovered that Cooper was a majorette in the late 1930s and early 1940s. She marched and twirled with the Fairmount High School Band, Fairmount Township, Grant County, Indiana. While in high school, she established a large twirling corps and was appointed the student instructor. The corps was sponsored by the local chapter of Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Cooper was drum majorette alongside a Charles Nesbitt (two Ts), drum major. We are unable to confirm whether or not he was the same Charles Nesbit (1927-2022), who was a member of the U.S. Army Rifle Corps and a beloved choreographer and sponsor of the West High Majorettes and Flag Corps (Billings, Montana) for 44 years.
Author: COOPER, Martha Jean
Title: [Photo Album]: Small Town Majorette in Indiana
Publication: Fairmount, Indiana: 1942-1947
Description: Hardcover. Oblong folio. Measuring 14½” x 12½”. String-tied faux leather over boards. 76 pages with 141 mostly black and white gelatin silver photographs and 16 news clippings adhered at corners by (now yellowed) clear tape and an additional 17 photos laid in. Photos measuring between 2½” x 2½” and 8″ x 10″, some with captions. Album is good plus with moderate edge wear, split along the front joint but holding firmly, and leaves mostly detached and toned with edge chips and small tears; photos generally very good or better, several are loose.
This album follows the twirling exploits of Martha Jean Cooper of Fairmount, Indiana from the ages of 17 to 24. Most photos feature her with a baton and/or with a band. She’s seen as a member of four different bands including her high school’s and the Anderson Eagles Band. The news clippings provide further evidence of Cooper’s status as a local celebrity.
Wartime themes such as the “victory beat” and patriotic costumes are shown in photos that include performances at a 1942 war bond sale, Hospital Day and Decoration Day parades, a rodeo and more. There are a number of posed shots, including a series in a studio showing her engaged in various stages of twirling. There are also several 8″ x 10″s taken by a *Life* magazine photographer that show Cooper with the Anderson Eagles along with a clipping of an image used in *Life* that does not depict her.
An album that displays a warm innocence, with numerous parade shots, documenting the twirling career of a small town majorette.
Seller ID: 418348
Subject: Ephemera, Photography