Original handbill, with the printed "Dirge", carried by Edward Hartwell Kidder (superimposed on the hand-bill in this post), Harvard class of 1863, sung by him and those in attendance on Monday September 3rd, 1860 when the sophomore class buried a football on the Delta (where Memorial Hall now sits) as a protest to the cessation of the "Bloody Monday" football contests between sophomores and freshman. Despite many reports and publications, only the Monday game was abolished (traditionally played on the first Monday of the college year) and not football as played normally.
This handbill is an absolute rarity, as only two are known to exist, both emanating from the Kidder estate (the other selling at auction in 2017). It remains in wonderful original condition with a distinct fold line down the vertical center. This happens to be one of my top twenty favorite pieces from our collection. I've always thought it was a great piece; historically significant, quite early in the scheme of American football, and one of the more interesting stories from 19th century sports. The H Book of Harvard Athletics devotes at least eight pages to this burial event. The news article below sums up the circumstances around the burial and the specifics of "The Dirge" - it makes for a fun and informative read.
All photos of Edward Hartwell Kidder in this post are from the book, Frozen in Time, which discusses the author's great great grandmother's photo album from the 1860s. Frozen in Time An Early Carte de Visite Album from New Bedford, Massachusetts, Susan Snow Lukesh, 2021 (figures 12c and 12d, discussion on page 57) . Dr. Lukesh sent me high definition photos and graciously allowed me to use them in this blog posting.
Wonderful piece of football history.
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