The Scrapbook of Altheda Beatrice Moore Smith

A wonderful object of greathistorical importance was donated to the Museum as a result of the recent women’s conference “Laying Claim to Our Spirit.” Legacy speakers Jo Moore Stewart and Marie Moore Lyles donated a scrapbook kept by their aunt, Altheda Beatrice Moore Smith while she was a student at the State University of Iowa from 1923- 1928.

The scrapbook lists all of her friends, their addresses and birthdates, plus a brief description about them. She also records all social occasions that she attended and who escorted her, plus her impression of the event. There are programs of events that she attended, plus many photographs of friends and events at the University of Iowa. As Moore’s friends were African American, this scrapbook is an invaluable resource in documenting the lives of African American students at the University of Iowa in the mid-1920’s.

Moore went on to receive her Master’s Degree in English from the University of Iowa in 1934 and taught at African American schools in Texas and Missouri before marrying in 1937. She passed away in 1977. Her diplomas and master’s thesis were donated to the Museum by another family member in 2005.

Update: The Museum collaborated with the University of Iowa Libraries to digitize this scrapbook and publish it online. As a result, a family found a photograph they didn't even know existed. Click here to read more. The entire contents of the scrapbook can be viewed on the University of Iowa Digital Collections website.

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