1909 Germany postcard photo American university women on tour

Rare silver gelatin postcard photo of 4 women posing in Thale in the Harz, Germany. All are identified: 2 are from Sweet Briar College Virginia, 1 from Brown University (RI). Sweet Briar College is a private women's liberal arts college, students drawn from more affluent families. It was founded in 1906, so there women were part of the first cohort. Ethel Cushing Gardner, Sweet Briar VA Gay Patterson, Sweet Briar College VA Elizabeth Johnson -- from Brown, Rhode Island Thale in the Harz June 28, '09 Virginia Reynolds Thale, a well‑known resort town in the Harz Mountains of central Germany. In 1909, Thale was a fashionable destination for hiking, scenic excursions, and summer study‑abroad travel. The presence of multiple American women, each identified with their home city or college, strongly suggest a summer educational tour or European excursion organized through a women’s college or social club. Sweet Briar College is a private women's liberal arts college in Sweet Briar, Amherst County, Virginia, United States. It was established in 1901 by Indiana Fletcher Williams in memory of her deceased daughter, Daisy. The college formally opened its doors in 1906 with 51 students and granted the B.A. degree for the first time in 1910.