African American Labor History Portraits of Black Workers in Uniform Occupations Photograph Archive 1900s–1940s

Racial Segregation Labor

Photograph

African American working men and women appear throughout this photograph archive documenting occupational identity and labor roles during the first half of the twentieth century. The images record Black workers in uniforms associated with municipal service, transportation, agriculture, and service industries during the era of racial segregation in the United States. During this period African Americans were frequently restricted to limited occupational sectors under Jim Crow policies, yet many played essential roles in maintaining urban infrastructure, transportation networks, and service industries. The photographs therefore document the visible presence of African American workers whose labor sustained local economies while they navigated racially stratified employment systems.

Archive of 10 Silver gelatin photographs including three real photo postcards dating from approximately the early 1900s through the 1940s. Measurements range from approximately 5 × 7 inches to about 1.5 × 2 inches. The images depict individuals and small groups posed in occupational clothing associated with a variety of professions. One large photograph shows sixteen African American men and one child standing outside a firehouse, several wearing firefighter helmets while fire engines are visible inside a brick station behind them. Another image depicts an elderly man transporting milk on a horse drawn delivery wagon. Additional portraits show men dressed in uniforms or work attire including a double breasted white service uniform with sleeve insignia possibly associated with naval steward service or hospitality work, a headshot of a man wearing a military style cap and tunic suggesting transportation or security employment, and a formal portrait of a man wearing riding boots and gloves characteristic of a horse jockey uniform. One studio portrait features an elderly African American woman seated with baskets of fruit beside her, likely indicating agricultural or sharecropping work. A separate photograph shows a laborer standing near a storefront where a sign reading “Keokuk” appears in the background, suggesting a Midwestern location associated with rail or freight employment.

The photographs illustrate occupations historically associated with African American labor during the early twentieth century, including transportation workers, service employees, agricultural laborers, municipal workers, and jockeys who were prominent in American horse racing before being largely excluded from the profession by the early twentieth century. Such portraits were often produced by local photography studios and preserved within family collections as visual records of employment, social respectability, and community standing. Light edge wear visible across several prints with minor creasing and small stains to the smallest portrait and one image showing a torn corner. Overall condition very good.

Item #22056

Price: $1,250.00