"Log Cabin Ivy, Albemarle County," two photographs by Rufus W. Holsinger taken on August 17, 1917. It features a log cabin in the area of the town "Ivy," to the west of Charlottesville, and an African American couple seated before the home. 

These photographs are included here in that, although not posed studio portraits of African Americans, they show actual interactions between white and black citizens at a time when segregation due to Jim Crow laws was in play or, in this instance, show African Americans in their own domain (whether before their home, in social groups, etc.) They are highly valuable in providing "visual evidence" of that lived environment.  

Additional information about the sitters and their house 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).

Below: X05414B2

Below: X05414B1

Sources

- "Log Cabin Ivy, Albemarle County," 1917-08-17 photograph in UVA Library Catalogue (X05414B2)  

- "Log Cabin Ivy, Albemarle County," 1917-08-17 photograph in UVA Library Catalogue (X05414B1)   

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: May 19, 2020

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