"Covesville Orchard," twenty photographs taken by Rufus W. Holsinger on various dates. 

The four photographs below show African Americans; no identifying information is known, aside from the title by which the photographs were labelled in the Holsinger ledgers (some of them are also labelled, "John J. Baez" and "Mountain Orchard Company").

These photographs are included here in that, although not posed 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. They are highly valuable in providing "visual evidence" of that lived environment.

The first photo (X01703B1) shows thirteen men, seven of whom appear African American. The photo appears posed to show the men as they'd typically appear while working; it is dated September 27, 1913.

The second photo (X01703B3) shows African American workers picking fruit; one white man appears to be overseeing their work. It is dated September 27, 1913.

The third photo (X01372B) shows white and black workers harvesting apples (barrels labelled, "wine sap") in a posed tableau. It is dated May 17, 1913.

The last photo in the series (X01373B) also shows a similarly posed group of white and black workers harvesting apples. It is dated March 14, 1913.

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: X01703B1

Below: X01703B3

X01372B

X01373B

Sources

- "Covesville Orchard," 1913-09-27 photograph in UVA Library Catalogue (X01703B1)  

- "Covesville Orchard," 1913-09-27 photograph in UVA Library Catalogue (X01703B3) 

- "Covesville Orchard" / "Mountain Orchard Company," 1913-05-17 photograph in UVA Library Catalogue (X01372B)

- "Covesville Orchard" / "Mountain Orchard Company" 1913-03-14 photograph in UVA Library Catalogue (X01373B) 

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: October 25, 2020

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