Big Bethel A.M.E. Church Choir, undated
Item
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Source
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Henry J. & Florine D. Furlow Papers
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Creator
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Unknown
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Title
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Big Bethel A.M.E. Church Choir, undated
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Date
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c. 1946 - 1953
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Description
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Group photograph of the choir of Big Bethel A.M.E. Church in Atlanta, Georgia, taken between approximately 1946 and 1953. The image shows a choir of men and women standing in several rows on a stage while a conductor leads them in song. The singers wear coordinated dark attire with light collars, typical of mid-twentieth-century church choir uniforms.
The conductor stands at the left foreground with his arm raised, directing the performance. A microphone positioned near the front suggests the performance may have been part of a recorded broadcast, public program, or special church event. Big Bethel A.M.E. Church, founded in 1847, has long served as one of Atlanta’s most prominent African American congregations and a center of religious, cultural, and civic life in the city.
Church choirs such as this played an important role in African American communities during the mid-twentieth century, contributing to worship services while also fostering musical training, fellowship, and community identity.
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Type
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Still image.
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Subject
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African American church choirs
Gospel music
Church music programs
African American churches
Atlanta (Ga.)
20th-century African American religious life
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Format
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8 × 10 inch black-and-white photographic print.
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Rights
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This image is made available for research and educational use. Reproduction or publication requires permission from the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History.
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Rights Holder
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Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History, Fulton County Library System
