"Southern Railroad Views Charlottesville," four photographs taken by Rufus W. Holsinger on March 28, 1916. 

Three of the four photographs show laborers; the UVA Library Catalogue notes the location to be Preston Avenue. The photographs appear to be in a sequence.

The first photograph below (X03989AB) shows thirteen black and white men and boys, workers and observers both; there are seven African Americans total. 

The second photograph (X03989BB) shows nine people; three are African Americans, two of whom are boys (they are to the right and appear to be in a ditch). One figure is blurry. 

The third photograph (X03989CB) shows twelve people; two are African American; one is a woman/girl. Six of the figures are blurry, such that you cannot tell whether they are black or white.

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. They are highly valuable in providing "visual evidence" of that lived environment.  

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: X03989AB

X03989BB

X03989CB

Sources

- "Southern Railroad Views Charlottesville," 1916-03-28 photograph in UVA Library Catalogue (X03989AB)

- "Southern Railroad Views Charlottesville," 1916-03-28 photograph in UVA Library Catalogue (X03989BB)

- "Southern Railroad Views Charlottesville," 1916-03-28 photograph in UVA Library Catalogue (X03989CB)

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: April 3, 2021

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