from Jerome
It may or may not help with identification, but below is another shot of the platform with J F Rutherford standing. The previous panorama was obviously posed because a lot of people were looking at the camera with Rutherford just standing on the rather makeshift platform. In this picture, which is the left hand side of another panoramic view, the shot is more impromptu. Rutherford is now speaking through a primitive microphone and the audience is generally looking at him. There don't appear to be any loudspeakers hanging from the trees, so maybe the total sound was coming out of that horn on the platform. This might explain why the sister sitting in front of the orchestra (just below the platform with the movie camera) has her hand to her ear. She is either deaf or the sound is too loud for her.
You will not be able to identify anyone from the next photo, which is taken from the back of the crowd, but it gives the flavor of the occasion. They were helped by good weather.
And finally, a photograph taken earlier in the week from inside the main auditorium. It has been split into two, but these should be stitched together to make one whole. Faces in the first few rows are clearly visible.
My grateful thanks to Brian who sent me these pictures with permission to share.
4 comments:
Fantastic quality and information, thanks for sharing
Nice to see photos like these!
So, did they use different places in different days of the same convention? And did they use the same auditorium in 1919?
Cedar Point is a peninsula going out into Lake Erie, and at the time of these conventions had seven Halls of various sizes on it. All were used in 1922 as the Bible Students booked the whole lot, and all the hotel space on the peninsula, hence an organized admittance was necessary. The largest auditorium was the Colosseum which held about five thousand people. There were meetings going on in more than one location at the same time, especially when you factor in all the foreign language gatherings. There was a huge park or grove which was used as shown in the photographs. On this occasions, all other meetings were cancelled so that everyone could get to this gathering to hear J F Rutherford speak. Reported figures vary wildly, but certainly twelve thousand or more were there, and this was the only way to get them all together in the one place. For a reasonably full report, including speakers (including some of the faces we have been trying to identify, see the WT for November 1, 1922 and also the Golden Age for August 16, 1922 for a description of the plans to deal with the numbers. Even so, the attendance exceeded expectations.
Post a Comment