Auburn Avenue Research Library Digital Exhibits

Items

• Nell Thomas & Anne Braxton
  Hand-tinted studio portrait of an African American family group taken around 1930. Nell Thomas sits in the center, surrounded by four young women, including her daughter Anne Braxton, who stands third from the left. The women wear light-colored dresses typical of the late 1920s and early 1930s, and the photograph has been delicately hand-colored to highlight their clothing and skin tones. The carefully posed composition and decorative studio mount reflect the importance of family portraiture within African American communities. Images like this celebrated kinship, pride, and generational connection, preserving moments of unity and affection across mothers and daughters.
• Unidentified woman, undated
  Studio portrait of an African American woman seated beside a small table, photographed between approximately 1912 and 1916. She rests her head lightly on her hand while an open book sits on the table beside her, suggesting a quiet moment of reading or reflection. The woman wears a light-colored dress, lace gloves, and a textured cloche-style hat adorned with a flower. A delicate handbag hangs from her wrist. Her composed posture and fashionable attire reflect the grace, intellect, and self-presentation of African American women in the early twentieth century.
• Unidentified Girl Next to Chair, undated
  Cabinet card studio portrait of an unidentified young African American girl standing beside an upholstered chair, photographed in Atlanta in the 1890s. The child wears a long, lace-trimmed dress and holds a small bouquet, posed formally against a studio backdrop. The image reflects the traditions of childhood portraiture and the importance of documenting family life and respectability in African American communities in the late nineteenth century. The child may possibly be Selena Sloan Butler as a young girl, though this identification is not confirmed.
• Unidentified Girl in Formal Attire, undated
  Cabinet card studio portrait of an unidentified young African American girl dressed in formal attire, circa 1880s. The child wears a long, decorative dress with lace details and holds a small bouquet, posed before a painted studio backdrop. The photograph reflects the importance of portraiture and formal dress in documenting family pride, childhood, and social presentation within African American communities during the late nineteenth century.
• Sigma Gamma Rho, Debutante Ball, undated
  Photograph of a debutante presentation ceremony hosted by Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, circa 1960. Young African American debutantes in formal gowns are seated in the foreground holding bouquets, while their escorts stand behind them in tuxedos and white gloves. The ceremony takes place before a large audience, reflecting the pageantry, mentorship, and community celebration associated with debutante traditions within African American social and civic organizations.
• Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Debs, 1964
  Group photograph of members of the Eta Sigma Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority posing with debutantes during the 1964 Debutante Ball. The women are arranged on a decorated stage beneath a banner reading “Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Debs 1964,” dressed in formal evening gowns and gloves. Soror Evelyn Hood stands in the front row (left) beside a debutante and her mother. The image reflects the ceremonial elegance and mentorship traditions through which African American women’s organizations supported the presentation and development of young women.
• Ruby Blackburn, undated
  Studio portrait of Ruby Blackburn taken in the early 1930s. Blackburn stands beside a small table arranging flowers in a vase, wearing a fashionable dress with layered fabric and styled hair typical of the era. The staged studio backdrop and elegant pose highlight the grace, style, and self-presentation of African American women during the early twentieth century.
• Mrs. Luther E. Frazier, Atlanta Society Matron, The American Front Magazine
  African American women African American social life Atlanta society Portrait photography Formal dress African American community leadership 1940s Black social elites
• Los Angeles Chapter, Links, Inc. 1970 Cotillionettes
  Group portrait of the 1970 Cotillionettes presented by the Los Angeles Chapter of Links, Inc., shown in a formal page from the 20th Annual Cotillion booklet. The young African American participants are dressed in white debutante gowns and gloves, seated and standing in a staged arrangement that reflects the elegance, discipline, and ceremonial traditions of cotillion culture. The event introduced twenty-six young women in a program celebrating refinement, education, and community leadership.
• Julia Bond & Dr. Horace Mann Bond, 1973
  Portrait of Julia Bond standing with Dr. Horace Mann Bond in formal evening attire, circa 1973. Julia Bond wears a long, elegant gown and headpiece, while Dr. Bond stands beside her in a tuxedo. The photograph captures a moment of formality and refinement within an African American family, reflecting traditions of celebration, presentation, and social distinction.
• Frances Lawrence with Group, 1954-55
  Group portrait of Frances Lawrence and several other African American women dressed in formal evening gowns during a mid-1950s social gathering associated with the National Conclave of Grady Graduate Nurses. The women are posed together on a stage in corsages and elegant attire, reflecting the sophistication and social traditions of professional Black women’s networks in the mid-twentieth century.
• Eta Sigma Debutante Ball, 1964, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, The Aurora, 1965
  Magazine article from The Aurora (February 1965) featuring photographs from the Eta Sigma Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority’s 1964 debutante ball. The images show the crowning of the “Queen of the Debutantes,” Gwendolyn Ann Robinson, and other young African American women participating in the formal presentation ceremony.
• Eta Sigma Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho, Debutante Ball, 1967
  Black-and-white photograph of young African American women seated in a long row wearing formal white gowns and holding bouquets during the Eta Sigma Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority debutante ball, 1967. The debutantes sit before a large audience gathered in a balcony and main floor, highlighting the scale and significance of the formal presentation ceremony.