Tag Archives: African American

The Red Hat Society Lives On

Posted on June 3, 2022 by Lynn

Any commentary about older women and fashion in America must address the Red Hat Society, a loosely knit organization of women over fifty.  Moreover, the founder of the group, Sue Ellen Cooper, hails from my neck of the woods in … Continue reading →

Posted in 2020s | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Maggie Walker and the St. Luke’s Penny Saving Bank

Posted on February 25, 2022 by Lynn

Maggie Lena Walker (1864-1934) is not a household name, but she made a huge difference in the lives of African Americans in the Richmond, Virginia area.  In 1903, she was the first woman of any race to found a bank.  … Continue reading →

Posted in 1900s, 1910s, 1920s | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

A Faith Ringgold Retrospective

Posted on February 18, 2022 by Lynn

Aren’t there times when you wished you lived in New York City?  I wish I were there now to see the Faith Ringgold retrospective at the New Museum.  It is the first comprehensive US retrospective of her work, beginning with … Continue reading →

Posted in 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Black Women of California’s Central Valley

Posted on February 11, 2022 by Lynn

During the Great Depression, when waves of migrants came to California to escape the drought, Black cotton farmers were part of the population transfer.  Some were recruited by California cotton growers, while others came on their own. More migrated after … Continue reading →

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The Black Women of Appalachia, 1920s

Posted on February 3, 2022 by Lynn

If you are looking for dignified portraits of older American women, sooner or later you will come across the work of Doris Ulmann (1882-1934). She started out as a celebrity photographer, but in the 1920s her life took a turn.  … Continue reading →

Posted in 1920s | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Burning the Mortgage, 1915

Posted on November 4, 2021 by Lynn

Photographs often document big moments in life—the wedding, the baby, the new house.  A tradition in Black churches is to mark the end of mortgage payments, the moment when property finally belongs to the residents, with a mortgage burning ceremony.  … Continue reading →

Posted in 1910s | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Birmingham Project of Dawoud Bey

Posted on June 27, 2021 by Lynn

The Whitney Museum in New York City is currently showing the work of Dawoud Bey, an African American photographer with an inclusive eye.  One of his most inventive works is the Birmingham Project of 2012, commemorating 50 years since the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1960s, 2010s | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Window Shopping in Mobile, Alabama, 1956

Posted on May 11, 2021 by Lynn

If the Facebook page “Mid Century in Color” is any indication, most amateur photographers using color film in the US in the mid twentieth century were white—and they created an image of an all-white America.  Luckily, professional photographers of color … Continue reading →

Posted in 1950s | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Unruly Seamstresses in the 1930s

Posted on April 22, 2021 by Lynn

The Works Project Administration (or WPA) is best known for funding murals and highways in the Great Depression. However, it also started programs aimed specifically at women. One was the WPA sewing project, which employed thousands women creating garments for … Continue reading →

Posted in 1930s | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Easter Bonnet Luncheon, 1961

Posted on April 3, 2021 by Lynn

This photo comes from a very large archive of work by Charles “Teenie” Harris, housed at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburg.  Harris was a staff photographer for the Pittsburgh Courier, a major African American newspaper in the mid … Continue reading →

Posted in 1960s | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments