African American Labor and Childhood in the Reconstruction South, Palmer and Havens Stereoview Photographs, circa 1870s–1880s

Reconstruction-era Photographs of African American life

Photograph

Palmer, J.A., and Havens, O.P. stereoview photographs, circa 1870s–1880s, depicting African American labor in the Reconstruction-era South with direct relevance to the study of post-emancipation work systems, racialized labor roles, and visual culture in the decades following the Civil War. The images present two distinct but related scenes: one showing three young boys identified as chimney sweeps holding tools associated with their trade, and another depicting cotton pickers in an agricultural setting. Produced during a period when photography increasingly circulated images of Black labor to national audiences, these views document both occupational roles assigned to African Americans and the persistence of labor structures rooted in the antebellum economy. The involvement of photographers J.A. Palmer and O.P. Havens, both active in the South and known for producing stereoviews of African American subjects, situates the photographs within a broader commercial and documentary practice that shaped visual representations of Black life during Reconstruction and its aftermath.

Palmer, J.A. Chimney Sweeps. Aiken, South Carolina: circa 1870s–1880s. Albumen stereoview photograph with studio imprint and manuscript title on the verso, depicting three young boys outdoors wearing work clothing and hats, each holding tools associated with chimney sweeping; verso bears ink stamp of The Treadwell Collection. Havens, O.P. Cotton Picking No. 3. Savannah, Georgia: circa 1880s. Albumen stereoview photograph with studio imprint and penciled notation on the verso indicating acquisition in Charleston, South Carolina, depicting African American laborers engaged in cotton harvesting. Together, two stereoview photographs mounted on cardstock, each measuring approximately 6.5 x 3.5 inches.

Albumen images with some lightening to the Palmer photograph and light spotting to the Havens image; mounts intact with minor wear; overall good to very good condition. A paired visual record of African American labor and childhood in the Reconstruction South, produced by two regional photographers whose work contributed to the circulation of post-emancipation imagery.

Item #17724

Price: $650.00