Smith, Will
    by Julia Munro

JUEL ID/KEY: P48252

"Will Smith," a photograph by Rufus W. Holsinger taken on February 3, 1917. 

Note that this portrait shows the young men dressed in worker's clothing. It was not uncommon in this time period to choose to depict oneself in one's work clothing and with accessories/tools of the trade when sitting for a photo, known as "occupational portraits" (Finefield) (for an example, see James Lightfoot). This portrait, however, gives no indication of the work of the individuals below, and so technically is not an occupational portrait, per se: he is dressed in generic laborer's clothing that do not specifically indicate his profession. Perhaps, then, he simply came in to have his portrait taken in the clothing he was wearing at that time. Whether purposefully showcasing his occupation or not (choosing to be photographed "as is"), it is an interesting act of self-representation.

From Family Photo Day, 9 March 2019: 

"These were brothers who worked on the Southern railroad."- Melvin Flannagan Jr., participant at Family Photo Day.  

Additional information about Will Smith will be added as it is researched.

NOTE that the name with which the portrait is labelled (or, labelled "untitled") is not necessarily the name of the sitter(s) photographed, but rather the name of the person who paid for it when it was taken (the date and name associated with each photograph is from the business ledgers of R. W. Holsinger).
 Smith, Will
Sources

- "Will Smith," 1917-02-03 photograph in UVA Library Catalogue (X04800A) 

- printed notes, flipbook vol. 6.2 

- comments from Family Photo Day courtesy Mr. Melvin Flannagan, Jr. 

SEE ALSO:

Holsinger Image Gallery of African Americans

 

J. F. Bell Funeral Home Records

 

Charlottesville City Directory, 1914-15 [Hathi Trust] 

  

1870 & 1910 U. S. Census - Charlottesville & Esmont Communities

  

Cite This Entry
  • APA Citation:

    Munro, J.F. (2022, February 28). Will Smith. Holsinger Portrait Project. https://juel.iath.virginia.edu/node/1209

  • MLA Citation:

    Munro, Julia F. "Will Smith." Holsinger Portrait Project. Univ. Virginia (2022, February 28). Web. [Date accessed].

First published: March 12, 2019

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