Morris Essex Dog Show 1927-1957

This panoramic vintage photo is on display at Harding Township Town Hall and the event took place just up the street from my cottage. The man who built my house was born in the home of Marcellus Hartley Dodge (his family was in service there). In adulthood, he purchased the land to build his own home from Mr. Dodge as shown on my deed and I am the second owner. The lot was much larger back then and provided income in later years as he sold off land for new houses but was still able to maintain a smaller private lot for his cottage, now mine.

The inscription below the photograph: 

Morris and Essex Dog Show 1927-1957

An international event spanning thirty years, the Morris & Essex Dog Show was hosted and sponsored by Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge, daughter of William and niece of John D. Rockefeller, and her husband, Marcellus Hartley Dodge, owner and Chairman of the Remington Arms Company. In 1939, the show exceeded records previously held by Crufts, UK and Westminster shows, becoming the largest one-day dog show in the world, With over 65,000 attendees and 4,456 canines arriving in 10,000 automobiles, it required four times as many tents as the Barnum & Bailey's Circus. No other dog show has ever matched this one for its elegance and standing.

Click on each photo to enlarge and see how formally the people were dressed for this event.