"Charlottesville and Albemarle Railway Company Machine"
    by Julia Munro

"Charlottesville and Albemarle Railway Company Machine," two photographs by Rufus W. Holsinger taken on May 8, 1918. The photographs are duplicates of one another. The title refers to a machine (some kind of railway apparatus) that is visible in a third photograph of the same name.

From Family Photo Day, 9 March 2019: 

"This is Mr. Robert Spencer on the track maintenance department of the Charlottesville and Albemarle Railroad." - Mr. Melvin Flannagan Jr., participant at Family Photo Day.  

In the below photograph (X06208B1), you can see the laborer in the foreground, smiling; he appears to have been posed (to show the action). The UVA Library Catalogue describes him as a "Gandy Dancer," (the term at the time for railway worker). Right behind the laborer you can see another African-American laborer, kneeling down. The other portrait is an exact duplicate (but lighter tone).

Additional information about the Robert Spencer will be added as it is researched. *Note: the image is labelled "Charlottesville and Albemarle Railway Company Machine" in the Holsinger catalogue, and so can't be found if searching by the name "Robert Spencer" (use ID X06208B1).

NOTE that the name (or in some cases, no name, hence, "untitled") with which the portrait is labelled is not necessarily the name of the sitter in the portrait, unless otherwise verified (the date and name associated with each photograph is from the business ledgers of R. W. Holsinger).

Below: X06208B1
Charlottesville and Albemarle Company Machine
Sources

- "Charlottesville and Albemarle Railway Company Machine," 1918-05-08 photograph in UVA Catalogue (X06208B) 

- "Charlottesville and Albemarle Railway Company Machine," 1918-05-08 photograph in UVA Catalogue (X06208B1) 

- printed notes, flipbook vol. 7.2 

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, March 2). Charlottesville and Albemarle Railway Company Machine. Holsinger Portrait Project. https://juel.iath.virginia.edu/node/1220

  • MLA Citation:

    Munro, Julia F. "Charlottesville and Albemarle Railway Company Machine." Holsinger Portrait Project. Univ. Virginia (2022, March 2). Web. [Date accessed].

First published: March 2, 2020

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