"West Main Street," a photograph taken by Rufus W. Holsinger on March 17, 1913. 

The photograph shows an older African American man in an ox drawn cart, a novelty at that point in terms of the prevalence of automobiles. Clover's book, Holsinger's Charlottesville, states many people relied on oxen (rather than horses) to navigate the unpaved, muddy country roads surrounding Charlottesville at this time, and that the driver was delivering potatoes to sell in his likely handmade cart.

Clover also notes this was taken outside Holsinger's studio (note the edge of the ruffled bunting seen at top right, which correlates to photos of the studio exterior).

This photograph is included here in that, although not a posed studio portrait of African Americans, it shows everyday occurences in Charlottesville, or actual interactions between white and black citizens at a time when segregation due to Jim Crow laws was in play. It is 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: X01181B
 
Sources

- "West Main Street," 1913-03-17 photograph in UVA Library Catalogue (X01181B)

- Clover, Wendell Cecile and Heblich Jr., F. T., Holsinger's Charlottesville: A Collection of Photographs by Rufus W. Holsinger. Charlottesville: Art Restoration Services, 1995.  

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

First published: January 27, 2021

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