A mounted black and white photograph; young African American girl wearing a vertically striped dress, gathered at waist with white bonnet on her head; young white boy wearing light colored top and pants with black hose and black leather boots seated on the arm of a wicker chair holding a rod across his lap, wearing a hat on his head.
From slavery to Jim Crow segregation, African American girls worked in fields and as maids. Girls found themselves serving families and becoming lifelong nursemaids and domestic workers.
Girls as young as three carried heavy babies, scrubbed dirty diapers, and stayed up late to mend clothing.
What would it be like to care for an infant that was also your boss?
Clearly they were workers. The photographs make their work invisible.
people at Christmas; color photograph of an African-American girl seated on the floor underneath a Christmas tree holding a Bugs Bunny doll, open gifts on floor and chair around her
people at Christmas; color photograph of a baby girl wearing a frilly white dress and turquoise bow at the neck and a toddler boy wearing black pants, red turtleneck and white sweater seated on the lap of a man dressed in a Santa Claus costume
people at Christmas; black and white photograph of a young girl seated at a desk; desk is placed next to a bed and under a Christmas tree on a platform; printed on Agfa Lupex paper
hand colored stereograph; printed on verso "Turned out of Church / Copyright"; young girl in pink dress with white lace shawl and a small white hat sitting on top of her head is walking out of the open doorway of a church; man is standing in doorway watching her go; parishoners turned and watching her leave
hand colored stereograph mounted on yellow cardstock; printed on verso "B stands for Bumble Bee / Number 28. / Young Folks' Series."; printed on recto "Entered according to act of Congress, A.D. 1871, by M.M. Griswold, in the / Office of Librarian at Washington / Griswold's Compositions."; portrait of two girls, one seated on the floor at left and one seated on a table at right wearing a red dress; girl in red dress is holding a long pointer and pointing at alphabet on wall; girl on left sitting on floor is tying her boot