Children play tug-of-war in the snow. Alexandropol, c. 1923–1926.

Location

Alexandropol (Gyumri), Armenia

Year

c. 1920s

Item Detail

Near East Relief set aside an hour of daily play in its orphanages. Recreation, regular exercise, and manual work formed part of a program intended to restore children’s strength after disease and malnutrition.

Context

Barclay Acheson, an ordained minister, became Near East Relief’s Associate General Secretary in 1922. He visited its orphanages that summer and in 1923 assumed direction of relief work in Greece, Syria, and the Caucasus. Based in Athens during the population exchange between Greece and Turkey, he had become Director of Overseas Operations by 1925. His inspections addressed children’s care, education, and placement outside orphanages. He later served as Executive Secretary of the Near East Foundation until leaving for full-time work at Reader’s Digest in 1937.

This photograph is part of Acheson’s collection documenting Near East Relief and the Near East Foundation. The photographs recorded orphanage life, nursing, vocational training, refugee settlements, and the journeys between relief stations. His surviving diaries recorded the visits and administrative decisions that accompanied this work. The Thompson/Acheson family donated the material to the Near East Foundation, which subsequently transferred it to the Rockefeller Archive Center. NERHS used digital files retained in NEF’s Acheson holdings.

View in the Digital Archive

  • Holding Institution

    Rockefeller Archive Center

  • External Link
    https://dimes.rockarch.org/objects/bTKzjS8nbMVHiSRcptE5dk

  • Attribution

    Rockefeller Archive Center. Near East Foundation records. Barclay Acheson, Series 12.

  • Rights

    This material is protected by copyright. Permission has been granted for its non-commercial research and educational display by NERHS. Uses beyond this permission may require permission from the rights holder. Users are responsible for determining rights status and compliance with applicable law. If you believe you hold rights in this material or have information about rights holders not currently reflected, please contact [email protected].

  • Notes

    Sources for the Item Detail:

    • James L. Barton, The Story of Near East Relief (1930), p. 234: “One hour each day was designated as play time.” http://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.$b744679

    About this group

    Barclay Acheson Collection, Rockefeller Archive Center.

    • Near East Foundation, A Lasting Impact: The Near East Foundation Celebrates a Century of Service (2015), p. 36, ‘Barclay Acheson’: “Associate General Secretary for NER in 1922” and “By 1925, Acheson had become the Director of Overseas Operations.” https://neareast.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/A-Lasting-Impact-.pdf#page=43

    • Barclay Acheson, Diary 1927 Part 2, June 26, 1927, stamped p. 208: “went with Bridgeman to see the so-called Assyrian refugee camp” https://neareastrelief.org/asset/89017/

    • Barclay Acheson, Diary 1927 Part 2, July 11, 1927, stamped p. 265: “I went to the orphanage and took some interesting pictures of the children building playhouses.” https://neareastrelief.org/asset/89017/

Children play tug-of-war in the snow. Alexandropol, c. 1923–1926.