Tag Archives: African American

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

Aminah Robinson–Life into Art

Posted on February 27, 2021 by Lynn

This stunning piece is a good introduction into the work of Columbus, Ohio artist Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson (1940-2015).  Using the materials of daily life—paper, pencils, fabric, trim, and buttons, she creates stunning compositions.  The mixed media creation above serves … Continue reading →

Posted in 2000s, 2010s | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Summer at Martha’s Vineyard, 1950s

Posted on February 23, 2021 by Lynn

It is the wrong season for this picture, but I couldn’t resist since it contains some of my favorite elements—the many kinds of pants and shorts worn in the 1950s and a stark generational contrast between the old and young. … Continue reading →

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Mae Reeves, Queen of Hats

Posted on February 17, 2021 by Lynn

You might know the names of famous black fashion designers—Ann Lowe is having a moment on sewing sites right now.  But how about black milliners?  One the biggest names in that field is Mae Reeves (1912-2016), who ran an extremely … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990 | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Mary B. Talbert, Feminist Icon

Posted on February 12, 2021 by Lynn

Why isn’t Mary B. Talbert (1866-1923) better known?  I discovered her through a feature on black women suffragists at the Digital Public Library of America.  However, suffrage was just one of her causes.  She was involved in the anti lynching … Continue reading →

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

An NAACP Meeting in Los Angeles, 1949

Posted on February 8, 2021 by Lynn

If we didn’t have the title, “NAACP [National Association for the Advancement of Colored People], Los Angeles, 1949,” it would be hard to guess the context of the photo. This looks to be an organizational event taking place in the … Continue reading →

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