I found a print of this photo a few years ago in the Houston Chronicle archive.

Nothing else accompanied it. No date, no clue as to who these kids were, nothing. The only thing we know is that it was taken outside the Houston Chronicle building at the corner of Texas and Travis and – judging by the children's clothes – it was winter. These kids don't appear to be poor, either.

This little mystery was solved last week when, while searching through some microfilm here, I found the photo and the accompanying article.

This photo was taken 100 years ago yesterday. It shows about 400 children from the Harvard School in the Heights lined up to watch a matinee at the neighboring Majestic Theatre.

MORE PHOTOS: See Houston's past through the Chronicle archive

A Jan. 6, 1918, Chronicle article said the children "have always 'gone over the top' in patriotic fervor when there was any movement on hand in which they could join in showing service to their country."

It had been months since the U.S. got involved in World War I. Since that time, the children had collected old paper for the war effort.

So when management at the Majestic announced a Friday matinee, with war-financing thrift stamps being used for admission, the Heights kids snatched them up.

"Special cars were sent to the Heights to bring the little lads and lassies in to the city, the long string of cars with the cheering children making sort of a holiday time procession," the Chronicle wrote.

Thrift stamps cost about 25 cents back then. They were turned over to the school's parent-teacher association before being sold for $100 to teacher Nanno Maynard.

"This chain of events gave the children a delightful afternoon to remember, the Parent-Teacher Association $100 to invest for the good of the school and to Miss Maynard, who started the chain, not only a good investment, but the memory of many loyal little followers."