Photo Archive of African American Family C. 1940s

African American Family Photo Archive

Photograph

Original vernacular photograph archive of African American family c. 1940s. 21 silver gelatin photos ranging from 3.5 x 5 to 4.5 x 3 inches. 16 photo negatives, some are copies of the prints. Photos show family members posing individually and in groups, many in front of the same large white clapboard house with broad front porch, a garden to its side. In one photo two women in Sunday dresses and hats, one older, one younger, stand with linked arms, the younger woman's eyes hidden behind sunglasses, the older squinting into the sun with a rolled newspaper in one hand. Two images show the same woman in white 1940s bathing suit with sleeves and bloomers standing with her feet in the ocean, a small boy playing nearby. In one image he points at the horizon, in the next he crawls through the water. Group photo shows 12 subjects, young men and women in suits and dresses, the men with ties and hats, one posing with a cigar hanging from his mouth, smiling into the camera, their faces bright and relaxed. Subjects ages range from early childhood through old age. The University of Virginia's Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library describes "Black joy" as "a phrase used by historians to highlight the positive aspects of Black history separate from its suffering. Representations of African Americans living lives at once ordinary and inspired, both deeply personal and universal, is an integral piece of any American history archive."

Item #18124

Price: $285.00