President Taft, Colonel Ross & Aides. High School Cadet Review April 20th 1909.
Washington DC: Barr-Farnham Picture Post Card Company, 1909. One of multiple copies printed--few believed to have survived. Post Card. Format is approximately 5.5 inches by 3.5 inches. Image is black and white (with some fading) of a group of mounted individuals, reviewing a large body of troops in the background. The caption reads President Taft, Colonel Ross & Aides. High School Cadet Review April 20th 1909. We see the group form the back, facing the cadets. There is a text notation near the lower left corner that states Copyright 1909 by Barr-Farnham P.P.C. Co. The reverse has Post Card in large letters on the top. Under Card are the words Address Only. Under Post is the word Correspondence. On the left side is the statement Barr-Farnham Photo P. C. Co. Washington, D.C. RARE. Colonel Burton R. Ross, (1845-1913) was a military instructor of the High School Cadet Regiment for 26 years . Col. Ross was for many years connected with the District of Columbia National Guard. He was at one time Lieutenant Colonel of the First Regiment. The event was connected with the visit of the Philippine Constabulary Band to Washington. President Taft had a significant history with the Philippines in the aftermath of the Spanish-American War. The High School cadets had planned to participate in the Inaugural Parade in March but the Board of Education withdrew them due to lack of overcoats. The High School cadets approached the Philippine Constabulary Band and a joint parade was arranged. President Taft attended and complemented the cadets. Col. Ross was injured when his horse slipped and he was thrown to the ground. Press reported that approximately 10,000 watch the parade go from Market Place to 17th Street. Much of the background information on this post card was derived from excepts found on-line from Instruments of Empire: Filipino Musicians, Black Soldiers, and Military Band Music during US Colonization of the Philippines by Mary Talusan, Univ. Press of Mississippi,
One of the most popular musical acts in the early 1900s was a band of “little brown men,” Filipino musicians led by an African American conductor playing European and American music. The Philippine Constabulary Band and Lt. Walter H. Loving entertained thousands in concert halls and world’s fairs, held a place of honor in William Howard Taft’s presidential parade, and garnered praise by bandmaster John Philip Sousa—all the while facing beliefs and policies that Filipinos and African Americans were “uncivilized.” Author Mary Talusan draws on hundreds of newspaper accounts and exclusive interviews with band members and their descendants to compose the story from the band’s own voices. The spectacle of the band, its performance and promotion, emphasized a racial stereotype of Filipinos as “natural musicians” and the beneficiaries of benevolent assimilation and colonial tutelage. Condition: Good.
Keywords: William Howard Taft, Burton Raynor Ross, High School Cadets, Parade, Military Review, Post Card, Military Education, District of Columbia
[Book #83160]
Price: $250.00