The Atlantic | 7-8 July 1928

DATE July 7th
PLACE Aboard the SS Caronia on the Atlantic
This is a swell boat, an easy one to get lost on. We had a little storm today and the boat is rocking quite a little Wonderful wind, that saves me from being sick. Met a Miss Josephy and a friend who are Jews, but very nice. I am enjoying my self a lot in my own company I met a very nice man from Philadelphia and we had a long visit, discovered that our chaperone teaches at Mary [1], Mlle Gabriele Bataille.

ON THIS DAY
Sliced bread was sold for the first time by a bakery in Chillicothe, Missouri, using Otto Frederick Rohwedder‘s technology.

DATE July 8th
PLACE On SS Caronia
Today the weather is great and we are going along the Gulf Stream. Went swimming all morning and had lots of fun. Met 4 Cornell Boys one Mr Henry [2]. All very nice. Met two others whose names I know not as yet. Went swimming in the afternoon and had lots of fun again. I received a Wireless from Mother and Dad.

Vincent Price Journal 1928 (reproduced courtesy of Peter Fuller)

DID YOU KNOW?
In 1926, the passenger accommodation on the SS Caronia underwent a complete refit to accommodate 452 cabin class, 365 tourist class and 650 3rd class passengers.

EDITOR’S NOTES
[1] Mary Institute and St Louis Country Day, St Louis, Missouri. Vincent attended the Independent School between 1922 and 1929. You can read all about his school days in a specially-written article by MICDS archivist, Cliff Saxton. [Click here to read].
[2] Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. Watch a film about Cornell University in 1928 here.

[sic] Although Vincent misspells words in his journal, we have kept them as he wrote them.

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New York City | 5-6 July 1928

DATE July 5th
PLACE New York
Yesterday I arrived mid heat and hurry. I dashed ‘toute de suite’ to the Biltmore and made reservations. Saw ‘The Trial of Mary Dugan‘ in the afternoon and ‘The Show Boat‘ il soir. Both were ‘tres bons’. Saw [today] the Metropolitan Museum and walked blocks therein. Made the rounds of NY by bus, and then went to ‘Dawn‘. Tonight went to ‘The Silent House‘ sparky and good. Went to bed! Slept all night. So ended the beginning of my trip abroad!

DATE July 6th
PLACE New York
When I wake up a sinky feeling overtook me for I was going abroad alone! I went shopping and then took in 2 movies the ‘Wheels of Chance‘ and ‘The Big Killing‘ both were darn good. Paramount theatre is beautiful. We dined at the Cascades atop the Biltmore, and then left for the boat. I sailed at 12:00 on the dot with a big lump in my throat as I left my mother and father. Met the man I am rooming with, and is very nice…

ON THIS DAY
The first all-talking motion picture, Lights of New York, is shown in New York (it would go on general release on July 18). Meanwhile, the world’s largest record hailstone 1.5 lbs (7 inchs in diameter) at the time falls in Potter, Nebraska.

Vincent Price Journal 1928 (reproduced courtesy of Peter Fuller)

DID YOU KNOW?
The New York Biltmore Hotel was part of Terminal City, a massive complex of hotels and office buildings connected to Grand Central Terminal. For 23 years the New York Biltmore was the home to the Grand Central Art Galleries, founded in 1922 by John Singer Sargent, Edmund Greacen, Walter Leighton Clark, and others. It was also part of the Bowman-Biltmore Hotels group, which also included the Los Angeles Biltmore, which housed bandleader Earl Burtnett’s orchestra. Here’s a clip featuring the Tiger Rag, a tune that originally came out in 1917, but was still very popular in 1928.

[sic] We have kept all spellings as Vincent wrote them. [nb:] The pictures on this page were sourced as free media use and are not from Vincent’s estate.