The Diary of Christian Aitkin documents the social life of a man from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1909. Aitkin wrote daily about the theatre performances he attended, which included vaudeville, opera, and burlesque, playing billiards, gambling, and eating at various restaurants.

Christian Henry Aitken was born on August 23, 1884 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  His father, Archibald Aitken (1839 -1917) immigrated to the United States from Scotland. Archibald first shows up in a U.S. census with his family in the year 1860. He lived in his father’s household and listed his occupation as a blacksmith. Christian’s mother was Caroline Regina Fleckenstein Aitken (1860 – 1914); the daughter of German immigrants. Christian had one sister, named Caroline Aitken, who was born in 1883 and only lived for about a year.

Christian worked for most of his life as a clerk in his local post office. In 1914, Christian married Eleanor Goettelman Aitken (1889 – 1960), a native of Philadelphia whose parents had also immigrated from Germany. The couple had one daughter, Mary Aitken (1921 – 2014).

Christian died in 1966. He was buried in West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

The Diary of Christian Aitkin documents the social life of a man from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1909. Aitkin wrote daily about the theatre performances he attended, which included vaudeville, opera, and burlesque, playing billiards, gambling, and eating at various restaurants. Christian’s diary provides a fascinating look at the use of leisure time in the early 20th century. Christian wrote about wandering around downtown Philadelphia looking for entertainment, meeting with friends, and taking boating trips with his family.