Antique Architecture - Twenty Afro-American members of Franklin

Share

What sets this picture apart is its group of twenty Afro-American members of Franklin, gathered as a portrait even though the gallery files it under buildings and interiors. The record does not name the Franklin organization or give a date, so the exact setting and occasion remain uncertain. Group portraits of Black associations from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were often made to document churches, fraternal societies, schools and mutual aid groups, and they preserve the names and appearances of members who are otherwise poorly recorded. Viewers can look to the clothing, the arrangement of the sitters and any background architecture for clues about where and when the photograph was taken.

More from the Historic Print Archive collection

Snapshots of the Past helps heritage brands, museums, historians and storytellers tell stories with history: historic prints, image licensing and historical storytelling drawn from more than 25 years of research and curation.