Photograph albums and amateur snapshots reflect the importance of cherished family memories. Casual and personal, these snapshots document everyday life and generations of families. This photograph, possibly a birthday party, documents a large family group sitting and standing around a set table.
Photograph albums and amateur snapshots reflect the importance of cherished family memories. Casual and personal, these snapshots document everyday life and generations of families. Here a young boy enjoys his milk at the kitchen table.
hand colored stereograph; printed on verso "THE WHITE SLAVE. / Copyright / A.A. CHILDS & CO / Makers, / 127 Tremont St., / BOSTON"; African-American man standing in profile wearing yellow and black gingham pants, black coat with long tails, white button down shirt and vest with top hat and holding a silver handled cane; African-American man has his right foot raised on a low box and his shoe is being shined by a young, white (caucasian) boy; young white boy is kneeling on the ground in profile wearing black pants, white button down work shirt and a cap and is holding a brush to shine the shoe of the man; on the wall behind them are broadsides denouncing slavery and announcing a play (?) "The White Slave"; more broadsides saying "No Slavery / Freedom" and "Great Meeting / Negro Amancipation / Poor Slaves"
two black and white photographs mounted on black, perforated construction paper; recto- three elderly women standing side by side in profile but with faces turned and looking towards photographer, woman on left is wearing a black hat and a black and white coat with a belt tied around waist, woman in middle is wearing a dark coat and has a white kerchief with spotted pattern wrapped around hair and tied under chin, woman on right is wearing a light colored jacket, dark kerchief around her head and tied under her chin and is pointing towards photographer with her left hand; verso- young African American boy is peering over the top of a drinking water fountain with the spray on, right hand is gripping edge of bowl
This engraved wood block was used to print an image in the publication "Narrative of the U.S. Exploring Expedition, During the Years 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842," 1844, Volume 1 (page 54 of the Lea & Blanchard 1845 stereotyped copy). The image was drawn by A. T. Agate. It was engraved by J. H. Brightly, and originally printed by C. Sherman of Philadelphia in 1844.
This engraved wood block was used to print an image in the publication "Narrative of the U.S. Exploring Expedition, During the Years 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842," 1844, Volume 1 (page 54 of the Lea & Blanchard 1845 stereotyped copy). The image was drawn by A. T. Agate. It was engraved by J. H. Brightly, and originally printed by C. Sherman of Philadelphia in 1844.
Photograph albums and amateur snapshots reflect the importance of cherished family memories. Casual and personal, these snapshots document everyday life and generations of families. Dating back to the invention of the automobile at the beginning of the 20th century, those who could afford cars often had their pictures taken next to the vehicle. Here two men are seen leaning against a car parked by a curb.
Wooden hat blocks included pieces such as this, known as the flange. It held the brim of a hat while it was being shaped. From the late-nineteenth century to to the mid-twentieth century, work attire required hats for men and women and most Americans had at least one hat in their wardrobe. Daily wear meant hats got scuffed, dirty, and misshapen. Thrifty consumers did not throw away hats, but had them cleaned and reformed by hatters to extend the life of their purchases. As the fashion of wearing hats declined in the 1960s, hat blocking became a fast-receding craft.
Hatter and small businessman, Harold Cotton, Sr. used this block and others in this collection, in his shop in Greensboro, NC beginning in the mid-1950s. A black entrepreneur, Cotton used the income from his shop to move up the economic ladder and promote the welfare of the black community. Profits from the shop supported institutions within the black community, including St. Stephen’s United Church of Christ, the local black Boy Scout troop, and the NAACP.
For other blocks used by Cotton, see 2012. 0201. 01, 2012. 0201. 04, 2012. 0201. 03 and 2012. 0201. 05.
Press print; gelatin silver print with white border; image of two African American World War II (WWII) era female nurses' aides working at a table wrapping bandages; both women are wearing a nurses uniform with apron and hat; cabinet with glass front housing more supplies in background; woman on left is identified on verso as Mrs. Louis Lucas and woman on right is Miss Susie Freeman; photograph taken at Freedmen's Hospital in Washington, D.C. by Roger Smith working for the Office of War Information (OWI)
Hatters used hat block stands such as this one to hold and anchor hat blocks. Wooden pegs hold the stand together and also provide a way to secure a variety of blocks for different shaped hats. From the late-nineteenth century to to the mid-twentieth century, work attire required hats for men and women and most Americans had at one hat in their wardrobe. Daily wear meant hats got scuffed, dirty, and misshapen. Thrifty consumers did not throw away hats, but had them cleaned and reformed by hatters to extend the life of their purchases. As the fashion of wearing hats declined in the 1960s, hat blocking became a fast-receding craft.
Hatter and small businessman, Harold Cotton, Sr. used this block and others in this collection, in his shop in Greensboro, NC beginning in the mid-1950s. A black entrepreneur, Cotton used the income from his shop to move up the economic ladder and promote the welfare of the black community. Profits from the shop supported institutions within the black community, including St. Stephen’s United Church of Christ, the local black Boy Scout troop, and the NAACP.
For other blocks used by Cotton, see 2012. 0201. 01, 2012. 0201. 04, 2012. 0201. 03 and 2012. 0201. 05.
The woman pictured in this ambrotype is believed to be a washerwoman for Union troops quartered outside Richmond, Virginia. There is a hand-painted flag on her dress. Whether it was her choice to include this symbol of freedom, in unknown. It is espcially curious as she was denied many rights due to her gender and race. However, as a washerwoman for the Union Army, one was required to be approved by the quartermaster with a letter of good character. The importance of a clean uniform was such that a soldier's pay might be docked if the washerwomen was not paid. Additioanlly, she would have had to supply her own pots, soaps, and other tools for her trade, which meant that she was also something of a business woman.
black and white stereograph mounted on orange cardstock; photograph by Leander Baker; printed on recto "Leander Baker, / Photographer / Providence Views."; Soldiers' and Sailors Monument, Providence, dedicated to the members of the 1st Rhode Island Regiment and the 14th Rhode Island Regiment Heavy Artillery (African-American) who fought and died in the U.S. Civil War; dedicated in 1871; view of backside of female allegorical bronze statue at top with and outstretched arm; on the base are four buttresses (two visible) topped with bronze statues which represent infantry, cavalry, artillery and naval veterans; large bronze plaques on the base list names of soldiers killed in the war; monument designed by Randolph Rogers and Alfred Stone
Wooden flange for a hat block that held the brim of a hat while it was being shaped. From the late-nineteenth century to to the mid-twentieth century, work attire required hats for men and women and most Americans had at least a couple of hats in their wardrobes. Daily wear meant hats got scuffed, dirty, and misshapen. Thrifty consumers did not throw away hats, but had them cleaned and reformed by hatters to extend the life of their purchases. As the fashion of wearing hats declined after the 1960s, hat blocking became a fast-receding craft.
Hatter and small businessman, Harold Cotton, Sr. used this block and others in this collection, in his shop in Greensboro, NC beginning in the mid-1950s. A black entrepreneur, Cotton used the income from his shop to move up the economic ladder and promote the welfare of the black community. Profits from the shop supported institutions within the black community, including St. Stephen’s United Church of Christ, the local black Boy Scout troop, and the NAACP.
For other blocks used by Cotton, see 2012. 0201. 01, 2012. 0201. 04, 2012. 0201. 03 and 2012. 0201. 05.
This wooden hat block served as a versatile form for a variety of hats. The process of cleaning and blocking felt, fur, or straw hats involved heating or steaming the hat and placing it over a form such as this to return it to its original shape. The oval shape of this form mimicked the general shape of the human head and made it easier to fit the hat to the person wearing it.
From the late-nineteenth century to to the mid-twentieth century, work attire required hats for men and women and most Americans had at least one hat in their wardrobe. Daily wear meant hats got scuffed, dirty, and misshapen. Thrifty consumers did not throw away hats, but had them cleaned and reformed by hatters to extend the life of their purchases. As the fashion of wearing hats declined in the 1960s, hat blocking became a fast-receding craft.
Hatter and small businessman, Harold Cotton, Sr. used this block and others in this collection in his shop in Greensboro, NC. A black entrepreneur, Cotton used the income from his shop to move up the economic ladder and promote the welfare of the black community. Profits from the shop supported institutions within the black community, including St. Stephen’s United Church of Christ, the local black Boy Scout troop, and the NAACP.
For other blocks used by Cotton, see 2012. 0201. 01, 2012. 0201. 04, 2012. 0201. 03 and 2012. 0201. 05.