The 1930s - Art Deco

Style defines the yearbooks of the 1930s. It was the age of art deco and the staffs of the 1931 – 1934 Cincinnatians were fortunate to have the talents of Melville Bernstein, then a student of art and later an accomplished artist, illustrator and sculptor, as art director and editor. Under his direction, the 1934 Cincinnatian was the winner of the National Scholastic Yearbook Association’s “Most Original” award for its use of the emerging photo offset lithography printing process, employed as a result of a slashed budget. Students of the ‘30s were innovators in the midst of the Depression.

Featured Text

September Comes to McMicken
And with September comes the horde of lads and lasses from Withrow and Hughes, from Long Island, N.Y., and Mountain City, Tenn. Old McMicken, smiling in the Indian Summer sunshine, welcomes them. Bright eyed freshmen, eager and expectant, sophomores proudly displaying vigilance badges, juniors who don’t care a hell of a lot, and seniors who do—seniors who may never again feel the thrill of September coming ‘round the corner. Seniors who envy freshmen. Freshmen who envy seniors.

Something about the first few days of a college year make them seem to belong to freshmen. Though the frosh look up to upper classmen, the whole world smiles down on them. We like freshmen. They are gay to extravagance. They are wise too. They don’t accept the gestures of sophistication for anything more than gestures. They know that life holds gallantry and fear as well as gay folly.

So Old McMicken, soon to take its place among the things that were, smiles once more on vivacious young things who are befuddled by the glorious red tape of registration, and helpful but knowing sophomores with an eye toward rushing. Ah, Time the resistless, works subtle changes in us!

Let us dance, study and dance again for tomorrow we may graduate.

Found on page 20 of the 1931 book