Scrap Book of Women's Organization "Philathea Class" Organized and Illustrated by Young Woman named "Betty

[Virginia?], 1931. Very good. Toned, extremities worn.. An utterly unique example of book-making and album keeping, created by a young woman named Betty as a way of memorializing her time in a women's organization called the Philathea Class. Run by a teacher named Mrs. Horace Turner, the women's group was formed as a Methodist group whose platform was, "Young women at work for young women, all standing by the Bible, the School and the Church". Betty has accompanied newspaper clippings, event programs, and photographs with her own quirky gouache paintings, which humorously reference the aforementioned items. For example, a newspaper clipping about the group's White Elephant party is illustrated in the next page with a comical mustachioed man holding a while elephant figurine aloft. Many of the clippings refer to marriage announcements. There are also eight photos of the young women engaging in activities together, and of the group's leaders (e.g. visiting a farm, making a snowman, and even donning a massive pair of galoshes and wading into a river). The book ends with a page titled Good Luck! with all the members' signatures on it. There is also a cute secret message puzzle that Betty has solved using numbers and a code, which reveals a wedding announcement. The final inclusions are two handwritten letters; one tells Betty abou her travels with her new husband and desire to settle down once they have the money, and the other is from a former member telling the girls about her new career as a teacher in Seattle. Single vol. approx. 11.5" by 9.5", approx. 100 leaves, in original album binding. Paints a charismatic portrait of a creative young woman and her involvement in a youth service group for young women.