Related

• - Browse neighboring items by call number.
• Collection: Groups of Images (LOTs)

• Title: Portraits of African American ex-slaves from the U.S. Works Progress Administration, Federal Writers' Project slave narratives collections
• Other Title: Born in slavery, slave narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1938.
• Related Names:
     United States. Works Progress Administration.
     Federal Writers' Project , funder/sponsor
• Date Created/Published: 1937-ca. 1938, bulk 1937.
• Medium: 225 photographic prints : gelatin silver ; 5 x 3.25 and 7 x 5 cm.
• Summary: The bulk (193 photographs) are portraits of men and women from locations in Texas. People from Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, and Rhode Island are also represented. Most show individuals standing or sitting outside; a few are posed with or next to personal possessions; several group portraits are included. Some photographs also depict houses in the background or foreground. Additional images depict objects relating to slavery in Alabama, these include, among others, a "bell rack" restraint from the Federal Museum of Mobile and photographs of sales receipts issued to slave owners.
• Reproduction Number: ---
• Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on reproduction. Photographs were taken by U.S. Government employees, and are therefore not eligible for copyright.
  
• Access Advisory: For reference access, please use the digital images in the online catalog to preserve the fragile original items.
• Call Number: LOT 13262 (F) [P&P]
• Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA
• Notes:
  • Arrangement: Arranged in 9 sections by state: -1 Alabama, -2 Arkansas, -3 Indiana, -4 Missississippi, -5 North Carolina, -6 Ohio, -7 Texas, -8 Missouri, -9 Rhode Island.
  • Federal Writers' Project (FWP) interviews with former slaves began as early as 1936 with initial efforts concentrated primarily in Florida. In 1937 an official project was organized and placed under the direction of folklorist John A. Lomax who coordinated and expanded data collecting activities throughout the South. The program continued up through the Spring of 1939. Photographs of former slaves were often taken at the time of the interviews.
  • LOT title devised by Library staff.
  • Most of the photographs include typed or handwritten captions. Original caption forms on the verso of photographs from the Texas WPA include administrative information such as the district office number, the location of the office?, the date the photograph was taken, the official project number, and a descriptive caption.
  • Digitized images of all items in the collection and their associated identifying information are available through the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog.
  • Digitized images are also available through the Library of Congress Web site under the title: Born in slavery : slave narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1938, produced in 2001 for the National Digital Library Program, American Memory collections. This site also features related manuscript materials.
  • Transfer; LC Manuscript Division; 1984 (DLC/PP-1984:361).
  • Transfer; LC Manuscript Division; 1997 (DLC/PP-1997:045).
  • Forms part of: Records of the U.S. Work Projects Administration.
• Subjects:
  • African Americans--Women--1930-1940.
  • African Americans--Men--1930-1940.
  • African Americans--Dwellings--1930-1940.
  • African Americans--Texas--1930-1940.
  • Freedmen--United States--1930-1940.
  • Slavery--United States--1840-1870.
  • Older people--United States--1930-1940.
• Format:
  • Gelatin silver prints--1930-1940.
  • Group portraits--1930-1940.
  • Portrait photographs--1930-1940.
• Collections:
  • Groups of Images (LOTs)
• Part of: United States. Work Projects Administration Records of the U.S. Work Projects Administration
• Bookmark This Record:
     https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2001696353/

View the MARC Record for this item.

The Library of Congress generally does not own rights to material in its collections and, therefore, cannot grant or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute the material. For further rights information, see "Rights Information" below and the Rights and Restrictions Information page ( https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/rights.html ).

• Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on reproduction. Photographs were taken by U.S. Government employees, and are therefore not eligible for copyright.
• Reproduction Number: ---
• Call Number: LOT 13262 (F) [P&P]
• Medium: 225 photographic prints : gelatin silver ; 5 x 3.25 and 7 x 5 cm.

Generally, catalog records for Groups of Images in High Demand describe multiple items, from which a selection must be made. The individual items in the group may or may not be represented online.

1. Determine whether the desired materials can be retrieved online.

• Select the "About this Item" tab
• Select the "Check for online items from this group" link
• Select the "Obtaining Copies" tab for any retrieved items that are of interest.

2. If the desired material cannot be retrieved online:

Select images for reproduction through one of these methods:

• Visit the Prints & Photographs Reading Room and request to view the group (general information about service in the reading room is available at: http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/info/001_ref.html). OR
• P&P reading room staff can provide up to 10 quick copies of items per calendar year (but many original items are too old or fragile to make such copies). For assistance, see our Ask a Librarian page. OR
• Hire a freelance researcher to do further selection for you (a list of researchers is available at: http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/resource/013_pic.html).

• Call Number: LOT 13262 (F) [P&P]
• Medium: 225 photographic prints : gelatin silver ; 5 x 3.25 and 7 x 5 cm.
• Access Advisory: For reference access, please use the digital images in the online catalog to preserve the fragile original items.

Please use the following steps to determine whether you need to fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room to view the original item(s). In some cases, a surrogate (substitute image) is available, often in the form of a digital image, a copy print, or microfilm.

1. Is the item digitized? (A thumbnail (small) image will be visible on the left.)

   • Yes, the item is digitized. Please use the digital image in preference to requesting the original. All images can be viewed at a large size when you are in any reading room at the Library of Congress. In some cases, only thumbnail (small) images are available when you are outside the Library of Congress because the item is rights restricted or has not been evaluated for rights restrictions.

     As a preservation measure, we generally do not serve an original item when a digital image is available. If you have a compelling reason to see the original, consult with a reference librarian. (Sometimes, the original is simply too fragile to serve. For example, glass and film photographic negatives are particularly subject to damage. They are also easier to see online where they are presented as positive images.)

   • No, the item is not digitized. Please go to #2.

2. Do the Access Advisory or Call Number fields above indicate that a non-digital surrogate exists, such as microfilm or copy prints?

   • Yes, another surrogate exists. Reference staff can direct you to this surrogate.

   • No, another surrogate does not exist. Please go to #3.

3. If you do not see a thumbnail image or a reference to another surrogate, please fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room. In many cases, the originals can be served in a few minutes. Other materials require appointments for later the same day or in the future. Reference staff can advise you in both how to fill out a call slip and when the item can be served.

To contact Reference staff in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room, please use our Ask A Librarian service or call the reading room between 8:30 and 5:00 at 202-707-6394, and Press 3.