[Compliments of R. L. Smith & Co]

Daytona, Florida — c.1915 Photographic Accordion Souvenir [Floridiana]

Soft cover. A remarkably preserved early-20th-century photographic accordion souvenir of Daytona, produced ca. 1915 and distributed as a promotional piece by R. L. Smith & Co.

The item is comprised of 16 connected panels in stiff accordion format: 11 black-and-white halftone photographs of Daytona and Daytona Beach, 4 panels of descriptive text, and one blank terminal panel. The front cover features a pictorial scene of Casino Burgoyne, accompanied by a rhyming promotional poem; the rear panel advertises concerts and events at the casino.

Condition: Softcover; folded stiff wraps with accordion-fold interior; glued construction. Carefully handled; a hint of age-toning; no flaws.

Provenance / Rarity: This appears to be an unrecorded Daytona promotional view-book. No copies are listed in OCLC/WorldCat, and no sales records or dealer catalogues indicate another example in commerce. Daytona-area tourist ephemera of this period—particularly Casino Burgoyne material—is scarce, as most productions were ephemeral, cheaply made, and heavily used by visitors. Surviving accordion photographic view-books from East Coast Florida (exclusive of St. Augustine) are notably uncommon.

Research Value:
Material of this type offers significant institutional interest for:
+++  local cultural history (Casino Burgoyne was Daytona’s major social & entertainment venue until the 1920s).
+++ early Florida tourism and resort development.
+++ visual documentation of Daytona and Daytona Beach pre–automobile land boom.
+++ ephemeral commercial printing and regional advertising.
+++ photographic interpretation of Florida’s Atlantic Coast ca. 1910–1920.

Such items fill gaps in regional visual history collections, complementing postcard archives and early Florida travel literature.

The photographs document the Daytona waterfront, inland scenery, streetscapes, and natural features at a moment when the region was transitioning from Gilded-Age resort town to early automobile-era tourist center. The production quality and subject selection indicate a commercial printer working for local business promotion, likely in small quantities.

Item #21333

Price: $145.00