[Photo Album Depicting the College Years of Important Texas Businesswoman and Artist]

New Orleans and San Antonio, 1940. Good. 122 pages with 650 black and white photos most of which are adhesive mounted. Majority of photos measure approximately 4 5/8" x 3¼" and around eighty percent are captioned. Album good due to moderate wear and several detached leaves; most leaf edges chipped; photos generally very good plus or better with around 90 loose.

This album documents the college years of an important Texas businesswoman and artist, Margaret Bosshardt Pace Willson. According to a finding aid for some of her papers at the University of Houston,

"Margaret Bosshardt Pace Willson (1919-2006) was born in San Antonio, TX to prominent San Antonio businessman, Frank J. Bosshardt, and German-born Hettie Koehler, the niece of the famous Pearl Brewery Koehlers. Pace majored in Fine Arts at the Newcomb College of Tulane University, and undertook postgraduate study in Architecture and Business Administration at the University of Texas, San Antonio . . . At the start of her career, she worked with renowned San Antonio architect, O'Neil Ford . . .

Pace worked in a number of mediums as a painter, muralist, jeweler, sculptor, and a graphic designer, but was best known for her watercolor paintings. At various times throughout her career she studied under well-known artists such as Rico LeBrun, Xavier Gonzales, Etienne Ret, Fletcher Martin and Peter Lanyon, and her work was often influenced by her interest in architecture and landscapes . . .

Pace was an art teacher for many years at San Antonio College, the Hill Country Arts Foundation, and the University of the Incarnate Word, in addition to eventually taking over her family's business, Pace Foods. She was also a founder and member of the Executive Board of the Southwest School of Arts and Crafts, as well as a charter and signature member of the Board of the Texas Watercolor Society, and she served on the board of several art institutions, including the San Antonio Museum of Art, the Hill Country Arts Foundation, and the Witte Museum."

This album is devoted almost exclusively to Margaret's time with her female friends at the all-women Newcomb College at Tulane and Margaret is seen in dozens of photos. Easily 150 photos or more are internal shots of dorm rooms showing studying, getting ready for events, Valentine's day, meals and many other happenings. Margaret was in the science club and there are shots of club meetings as well as internal shots of science class, mechanical drawing class and more than one series showing art classes. One terrific image shows Margaret purchasing art supplies.

There is a series related to Halloween showing Margaret and her roommates playing with costumes and masks, another series showing football games and several fantastic photos showing Mardi Gras including floats and partiers. Many photos depict New Orleans and surrounding areas and include trips to graveyards, Audubon Park, and Margaret's first plane flight which features an aerial shot of New Orleans. There are also many photos of road trips and picnics including a visit to a dude ranch, a series showing a day at the beach in Corpus Christi, another showing Margaret and her friends enjoying New Braunfels, and a trip to Gulfport, Mississippi.

A deep look into the college years of an important Texas businesswoman and artist as well as the day-to-day life of a woman's college just before World War II.