cambridgemassachusetts

From Boston Magazine here's some of the backstory on Houdini's jump. When Houdini Jumped Off the Harvard Bridge by Madeline Bilis "What better way to promote an upcoming performance in Boston than to be locked up in chains and take a 30-foot plunge into the Charles River? "That’s exactly what Harry Houdini did on April 30, 1908. (Spoiler alert: He lives!) Before two weeks of performing at Keith’s Theater on Washington Street, the master of the “Impossible Possible” decided to take his talent of escaping from handcuffs and chains a step further by doing so underwater. "Houdini stood at the edge of the Harvard Bridge—commonly referred to as the Mass. Ave. Bridge—and was shackled by a Boston patrolman. His hands were handcuffed behind his back and chained to a collar around his neck. According to a Boston Globe article chronicling the feat, a signal was tooted from a towboat, and Houdini went overboard into the chilly waters below. "'There is always the possibility that I will be unable to free myself, as one never can tell what will happen to a lock,' Houdini told the newspaper. 'However, I am a good swimmer, have confidence in myself, and I hope to perform this feat successfully.' "The Globe estimated some 20,000 spectators gathered to see Houdini’s leap, including the mayors of Boston and Cambridge. They waited 40 seconds for the magician to resurface, which he did with the shackles in his hands. "A plaque commemorating Houdini’s jump is situated on the Boston side of the bridge, commissioned by Boston’s chapter of the Society of American Magicians."  

Also:

"Houdini" c.1910                                     by The Library of Congress

Amazing muscles in his legs. Houdini was in great shape.

damn... those legs.!

I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who noticed what great shape he was in!!

Harvard's football team had a perfect season in 1913, ending the series unbeaten and untied. It didn't happen again until 2001. This November 8, 1913, game with Princeton was the only one that the Crimson did not play in their own stadium that year. Harvard won, 3-0.

The history of Mount Auburn Cemetery: "Mount Auburn Cemetery has been designated a National Historic Landmark by the Department of the Interior, recognizing it as one of the country's most significant cultural landscapes. Founded in 1831, it was the first large-scale designed landscape open to the public in the United States. Today its beauty, historical associations and horticultural collections are internationally renowned." More: www.mountauburn.org/national_landmark/history.cfm

i wonder what southworth and hawes were doing traipsing around a cometary. i think they must have been really cool people. uninhibited.

at the time, cemeteries were better taken care of than now. It's because families were generally alot closer (including extended families living in the same houses or even next to each other). Since parks were few, people would have picnics, clean the family plots, and so on. Photographing cemeteries may be "rare" now and then, but some of us do still enjoy the same past time. :)

Winchester house is better.

The concept of "landscape architecture" was in its infancy at this time. As noted above, the idea was to turn the cemetery into a public space that could be aesthetically enjoyed by all. This and other cemeteries like it across the U.S. would become the site of family outings, picnics, etc., even for people who had no loved ones buried there. The presence of a camera crew would be unusual only to the extent that cameras were somewhat rare in the 1850's.