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Group Photo of School Girls Group portrait of African American schoolgirls photographed in the 1920s. The students are arranged in three rows against a studio backdrop, wearing dresses typical of the period, including garments with sailor collars, pleated skirts, and patterned fabrics. Their hairstyles and clothing reflect the fashion of young women and girls during the early twentieth century.
Photographs such as this often documented school classes, clubs, or student groups and were commonly preserved in family albums and community collections. The image reflects the importance of education within African American communities during the early twentieth century and provides a glimpse into the lives of young students during the 1920s.
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Unidentified woman next to car, undated Photograph of an unidentified woman standing beside an automobile on a city street, dating to approximately 1928–1932. The woman wears a cloche-style hat and a tailored coat typical of late 1920s and early 1930s fashion. Two children stand nearby, one leaning against the automobile while another stands slightly behind her. In the background, multi-story buildings, fire escapes, and other automobiles line the street, situating the scene within an urban neighborhood.
Images such as this offer glimpses of everyday life during the early twentieth century, documenting fashion, family relationships, and the growing presence of automobiles in city environments. The photograph comes from the Williams family scrapbook and reflects the kinds of informal snapshots families preserved to record daily experiences and community life.
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Unidentified Woman at The Regent, undated Studio portrait of an unidentified woman seated beside a decorative chair, photographed at The Regent studio operated by J.E. Purdy & Co.. The woman wears an elaborately patterned dress with a fitted bodice, lace collar, and ornamental hat typical of late nineteenth-century fashion. Her formal pose, jewelry, and carefully styled attire reflect the conventions of studio portraiture during the 1890s, when photographic portraits served as important personal and family keepsakes.
The cabinet card photograph comes from the Selena Sloan Butler papers. While the woman’s identity has not been confirmed, she may be a relative of Selena Sloan Butler, though this attribution remains unverified.