Name/Title
Graduating Class of 1911 – Costume IllustrationDescription
This is a black and white photograph of a graduating class from 1911, showing a group of young women and a few men seated on the steps of a school or institutional building. The caption below the photograph identifies the students by last name and indicates their seating arrangement in three rows. The image is part of a bound book or album, likely a yearbook or a school documentation booklet.Context
This image is representative of early 20th-century education and women’s academic achievements at a time when educational opportunities for women, particularly Black women, were still emerging. Notably, the name "Latimer" appears in the second row, which could suggest a connection to Lewis H. Latimer’s family, as his daughters attended prominent schools. The style of dress, with high collars and long skirts, reflects the fashion norms of the period.
Yearbooks and commemorative class photographs like this one were significant in documenting academic milestones and social dynamics in early 20th-century schools. The presence of both men and women suggests a coeducational institution or a program where men served in faculty roles.Collection
The Lewis H. Latimer Papers (1870-1929, 1972) [QPL Subgroup], Latimer Family Papers (1870-1996 ) [QPL Full Collection]Inscription/Signature/Marks
Transcription
GRADUATING CLASS 1911 – COSTUME ILLUSTRATION
FRONT ROW: Boyle, Ross, Heinemann, Rodbell, Robinson.
SECOND ROW: Francis, Badkin, Shaw, Weber, Kimble, Latimer (✔ marked next to Latimer).
BACK ROW: Baum, Reno, Tuckerow, Crowell, Golden, Shipman.