Mystery Foto #4 Solved: The family of William Cullen Bryant of Roslyn Harbor watching the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race in Jericho
Did you identify this weekend's challenging Mystery Foto?
Answers to the Mystery Foto questions:
- The location and orientation of the photographer
The south side of Jericho Turnpike, east of Broadway in the Village of Jericho. The photographer is looking south.
- The prominent family
The descendants of civic leader, poet and publisher William Cullen Bryant who lived at his Cedarmere estate in Roslyn Harbor.
- The Vanderbilt Cup Race and date of the photo
The 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race, October 24, 1908
- The automobile on the far left
Stanley Steamer
Kudos questions: Identify the individuals from left to right (relation to William Cullen Bryant).
Fanny Godwin White (granddaughter), Elizabeth Marquand Godwin (wife of Harold, 1862-1951), Frederick Marquand Godwin (back to camera, son of Harold Godwin 1889-1961), Elizabeth Godwin White (granddaughter), Elizabeth Love Godwin (wife of Harold Godwin, 1862-1951) and Harold Godwin (great-grandson and son of Fanny White,1858-1931).
Comments (4)
Congrats to Greg O, Art Kleiner, Dick Gorman and Steve Lucas for identifying the Bryant family.
Kudos to Steve Lucas for idnetifying the Jericho location.
Enjoy,
Howard Kroplick
Thanks to the following friends of VanderbiltCupRaces.com for supporting my preservation efforts by becoming 2022 members of the Roslyn Landmark Society: Mike Carroll, Corey Victoria Geske, Walt Gosden, Art Kleiner, Frank Krawiecki, Mark Lanese, Brian McCarthy, Dee Oreiro, Greg Oreiro, Mark Schaier, Peter Shriver, David Stephan and Al Velocci. Much appreciated!
Close-ups
In his1972 book "Early History of Roslyn Harbor Long Island", Bryant's great-grandson Conrad Godwin Goddard recalled the Vanderbilt Cup Races:
"The great automobile sporting event of that era was the race for the William K. Vanderbilt, Jr. Cup. Enthusiasts like myself would get up while it was dark, in the early morning hours, for a week beforehand and watch the racing cars practice around the highway course, a part which followed the North Hempstead Turnpike from Greenvale to Cedar Swamp Road. Most of the cars had 4-cylinder gasoline engines of about 60 to 75 horsepower, each carrying both a driver and a mechanic who pumped the fuel. It was a great social event and everyone, in order to get a good view, sat on top of their car seat backs and enjoyed picnic luncheons. The crowds were somewhat unruly, however, and I have seen a racing car going down the road at full speed directly toward a solid crowd of people, who didn't open a patch until it was only a couple of hundred feet away, and who closed in immediately after it had passed. As a result of these dangerous conditions, the race finally had to be given up."
From left to right were Bryant's great-grandsons Frederick Marquand Godwin and Conrad Godwin Goddard, Bryant’s granddaughter Fanny Godwin White, and Elizabeth Marquand Godwin, Frederick's wife. The woman with the thermos is Frederick Godwin’s sister Elizabeth Love Godwin. Fanny Godwin White was the first woman to obtain an automobile license in Roslyn. (Courtesy of Nassau County Department of Parks, Recreation and Museums – Cedarmere)
From left to right: Elizabeth Marquand Godwin, Elizabeth Godwin White and another Bryant family member. Note: The matching hats seen in the Mystery Foto and the building on Broadway in Jericho.
Comments
From left to right: Fanny Godwin White (William Cullen Bryant’s granddaughter) in a Stanley Steamer, Elizabeth Marquand Godwin, Elizabeth Godwin White, Frederick Godwin’s sister Elizabeth Love Godwin, and Harold Godwin at far right on Northern Blvd in Greenvale at the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Races, October 24, 1908.
Mystery Foto # 4… This photo shows members of the William Cullen Bryant family. Far left we see Fanny Godwin White and the car is a Stanley Steamer. To the far right is Harold Godwin. These photos were taken at the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup held on October 24.
Again from left to right we see Fanny Godwin White, Elizabeth Marquand Godwin, Elizabeth Godwin White, another Bryant family member and Harold Godwin
Jericho Turnpike, looking east
The Godwins, heirs to William Cullen Bryant
From left - granddaughter Fanny Godwin White, Great grandson Frederick Godwin and his wife, Elizabeth Marquand Godwin, Elizabeth Godwin White, unknown, far right - Harold Godwin
1908 VCR, October 24, 1908
Stanley Steamer
I think the photo was taken in Jericho on the Jericho Turnpike, possibly facing south or southeast. The individuals were all members of the William Cullen Bryant family. They were there watching the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race on October 24, 1908. The car on the far left is a Stanley Steamer. From left to right I think we’re looking at Fanny Godwin White, Elizabeth Marquand Godwin, Frederick Marquand Godwin (back to camera), Elizabeth Love Godwin, Elizabeth Godwin White, and Harold Godwin. It’s possible I have the last two “Elizabeths” reversed.
The Stanley is a 1906 or ‘07 Model F. The 1908 version changed from a flat dash to a rounded cowl. Interesting that a family of wealth would be messing around with something like that. The car on the far right is a Pope-Hartford - much more like it. Coincidentally, also a 1906 Model F.