Name/Title
Blackface Wedding, October 1918Entry/Object ID
2023.09.27Description
Real photo postcard of an inexplicable scene: A group of married, white women dressed up as if for a wedding photo with all but two wearing blackface.
The women cross-dressing as men wear dark stocking caps in a caricature of black hair. The bride appears to be wearing a stocking over her face rather than makeup. The photo was taken in the parlor of a home.
Back of card reads,
Left - Mrs Ida Taylor, Mrs Harry Walker
Right - Alice Baker
Mrs. H K?
Mrs. Clapp
Mrs. Wiley?
Mrs. Morris
Mrs?
Mrs. Brittain
Mrs. Pfaff
Center
Minister Mrs. Leland
Bride Mrs Morris
Groom Mrs Wiley?
The inclusion of this image in the SDHC online catalog is documentation for the historical record. The behavior depicted is not endorsed by the organization.Photograph Details
Type of Photograph
Print, photographSubject Person or Organization
Morris, Lillian (Sterzing) Frehse 1872-1964, Taylor, Ida May (Hamilton), Walker, Adelaide Elizabeth (Wade) 1885-1932Context
An example of casual, early-20th century racism that was considered entertainment by the people who participated. During this period, minstrel performances employed blackface, as did actors in the D.W. Griffith's film "The Birth of a Nation" (1915) and Al Jolson in the film "Mammy" (1930).Collection
Family History, RacismCataloged By
Winthers, SallyAcquisition
Accession
2023.09Source or Donor
Pindras, HollyAcquisition Method
Donation, unconditionalLocation
Box
185 Morris-Frehse FamilyCreate Date
July 11, 2023Update Date
August 28, 2024
