Elsie A. Cuff, 1936

Source: Jesse O. Thomas Papers
Creator: Unknown
Title: Elsie A. Cuff, 1936
Date: 1936
Description: Portrait photograph of Elsie A. Cuff taken in 1936 while she was a student at Virginia State College (now Virginia State University). The image shows Cuff posed against a studio backdrop, wearing a dark blouse with a rounded collar. Her hairstyle and clothing reflect the fashion of the mid-1930s.

Studio portraits such as this were commonly produced for school records, yearbooks, or personal keepsakes during the early twentieth century. The photograph preserves the likeness of a young African American college student during a period when historically Black colleges and universities played a vital role in expanding educational opportunities and professional pathways for Black Americans. The photograph is part of the Jesse O. Thomas papers.
Type: Still image.
Subject: African American women
College students
Virginia State College
Studio portraits
Higher education
1930s African American life
Format: 2 × 2.5 inch black-and-white photographic print.
Rights: 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.
Rights Holder: Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History, Fulton County Library System