Burnham Gymnasium Vaudeville – April 1, 1916

Linwood Dyer Collection – Part 094
SHS Accession #2026.01.09
By Don Taylor

Introduction

The Scarborough Historical Society maintains several important photographic collections documenting people, places, and events. Occasionally, a photograph provides a glimpse not only of individuals but also of the broader social and historical context in which it was created.

One such photograph from the Linwood Dyer Collection shows a group of boys dressed as French soldiers with a young girl portraying France. The image is captioned “The French Soldiers – April 1, 1916,” and was taken by photographer Tisdale. Contemporary newspaper coverage confirms that the photograph documents a performance at the Burnham Gymnasium in Portland, Maine, as part of a patriotic vaudeville entertainment benefiting French war relief during the First World War.

The program, held on Saturday afternoon, April 1, 1916, featured Portland children performing dances, tableaux, and musical numbers inspired by French culture and history.

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Portland Boys as French Soldiers – April 1, 1916

Photographer: Tisdale
Location: Burnham Gymnasium, Portland, Maine
Date: April 1, 1916
Source: Scarborough Historical Society, Linwood D Dyer Photo Collection

Description

The photograph shows eight boys dressed in French infantry uniforms, standing in formation with rifles. Their uniforms include military-style caps, buttoned tunics, belts, breeches, and tall boots.

At the center stands a young girl dressed in white, wearing a pointed hat wearing a French tricolor sash. She likely represents Marianne, the traditional personification of the French Republic.

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The Burnham Gymnasium Vaudeville

Newspaper reports describe the event as a children’s vaudeville entertainment held to raise funds for French war relief.

Cars and carriages reportedly lined up outside the Burnham Gymnasium as Portland residents arrived for the afternoon program. Every seat was sold for the performance, which raised money for French War Relief.

The program included orchestral selections, dances inspired by historical French themes, and several dramatic tableaux.

Highlights included:

• Gavotte – Orchestra
• Mignonette – Orchestra
• Dance des Poupées (Doll Dance) – performed by Miss Janet Emerson
• Les Trois Bergers (The Three Shepherds) – performed by the Commarettes
• Cervelont
• Sur le Pont d’Avignon (Old Peasant Dance)
• Airs de Ballet du XVII Siecle
• Ave Maria Stella – Orchestra
• Danse des Pierrots

The performance concluded with the presentation titled “Soldats Français” (French Soldiers) – the scene depicted in the photograph.

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The Young Performers

The boys portraying French soldiers were identified in the newspaper as:

• Richard Payson
• George Jackson
• Walter (or William) McClintock [1]
• William Cobb
• Douglas Temple
• Edward Marshall
• John Verrill
• Frederick Gignoux

The central figure portraying France was not named in the newspaper article.

[1] The newspaper photo caption says William McClintock, while the listing of boys in the article says Walter McClintock.

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Conclusion

In 1916, the United States had not yet entered the First World War, but American sympathy was for the Allied nations, and, with a large Franco-American population, Maine was especially sympathetic to France.

The Portland program was specifically intended to raise funds to aid the little children of wounded French soldiers.

One hundred ten years later, this photograph reminds us how the children of Portland responded to and supported France during the Great War.

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Sources

Portland Sunday Telegram, April 2, 1916, p. 7.

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Disclaimer: This article was researched and written by the author. ChatGPT was used as a research and drafting aid, and Grammarly was used for editorial review and copy editing.