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[Close-up of charred corpse of Jesse Washington, laying on ground, after lynching, Waco, Texas, May 15, 1916] – Vintage Print

[Close-up of charred corpse of Jesse Washington, laying on ground, after lynching, Waco, Texas, May 15, 1916], [1916] — historic photograph
[Close-up of charred corpse of Jesse Washington, laying on ground, after lynching, Waco, Texas, May 15, 1916], [1916]. Historic photograph from the Historic Print Archive collection.

(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)

Description

Few images capture their era like this historic photograph of [Close-up of charred corpse of Jesse Washington, laying on ground, after lynching, Waco, Texas, May 15, 1916]. It comes from the collections of the Library of Congress, scanned from the original and carefully restored.

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[Close-up of charred corpse of Jesse Washington, laying on ground, after lynching, Waco, Texas, May 15, 1916]

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A close-range view of Jesse Washington's body lying on the ground in Waco, Texas, on May 15, 1916, this picture records the aftermath of a lynching rather than the crowd that gathered for it. Washington, a young Black farmhand, had been convicted in a hurried trial of killing a white woman in nearby Robinson. A mob seized him from the courtroom, tortured him, and burned him in public view. The photograph is credited to Gildersleeve, a local photographer, and the NAACP later preserved and used images like this one to show the public what lynching involved.

Created / published[1916]
Medium1 photographic print.
GenrePhotographic prints 1910-1920.
NotesForms part of: Visual Materials from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Records. Collection finding aid available. Photo by Gildersleeve.
SubjectsWashington, Jesse--Death & burial--Texas--Waco. African Americans--Punishment & torture--Texas--Waco--1910-1920. Dead persons--Texas--Waco--1910-1920. Lynchings--Texas--Waco--1910-1920.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan1,536 × 1,070 px · prints to 5 × 4 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-118635

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