JUEL ID/KEY: P48919

"Ellie Thomson," a photograph taken by Rufus W. Holsinger on October 27, 1917.

Note that this portrait shows the gentleman 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). This portrait, however, gives no indication of the work of the individual below: he is dressed in generic laborer's clothing that do not specifically indicate his profession, and so technically is not an occupational portrait, per se (for an example of one, see James Lightfoot). Perhaps, then, he simply came in to have his portrait taken in the clothing he was wearing at that time. Whether purposefully showcasing their occupation or not (choosing to be photographed "as is"), these are interesting acts of self-representation.

Additional information about Ellie Thomson 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) in the portrait, but rather the name of the person who paid for the portrait when it was taken (the date and name associated with each photograph is from the business ledgers of R. W. Holsinger).
Sources

- "Ellie Thomson," 1917-10-27 photograph in UVA Catalogue (X05651A) 

- Finefield, Kristi. "Profiling Portraits: Occupational Portraits of the Nineteenth Century," Library of Congress Prints and Photos

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

First published: August 14, 2019

Return to the Holsinger Main Page or African-American Portraiture List of Names