Our 20th Century African American Photograph archive features family photographs, African American communities, and African Businesses from 1900 to 1970.
Full-length portrait of Joseph C. Sheffey wearing his jockey uniform.
Full-length portrait of Joseph C. Sheffey (25 September 1881-8 February 1959), the son of Daniel Henry Sheffey, Jr. (1844-1914) and Jane A. White (1860-1912), was born on 25 September 1881.
He married was married to Nannie E. Buford, and later, to Susan "Susie" Julia Roane.
Joseph C. Sheffey was a professional African American jockey in his young adulthood. He is pictured here wearing his winter jockey silks. He was known to have jockeyed in Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and New Jersey. While he lived in Virginia, New Jersey and New York over the course of his life, he passed in 1959 in his native Wytheville, Wythe County, Virginia, United States
A copy of a framed portrait of Joseph P. Sumter (~1848-1920). He was born, raised, and died in Sumter County, South Carolina, and also served in 104th USCT.
The photograph belonged to Mary Louise Burgess Ghee (1924-2014) who was born and raised in Sumter, South Carolina. She spent the last 60 years of her life in New York City.
Portrait of Mildred Evelyn Simmons Adamson.
Mildred was born 14 November 1930 in Charleston, South Carolina. She and her husband, Frank Adamson, lived in New York and Baltimore, Maryland, United States.
Photograph of Pauline Matthews and Joseph Thurman Turner in front of building.
Pauline Matthews (25 October 1912-1989), born in Edgefield County, South Carolina was the great-granddaughter of Lewis Matthews. She married Joseph Thurman Turner (10 March 1910-2004) of Washington, DC.
Copy of portrait of Sarah Carter Richardson, hand-colored.
Sarah Richardson (~1831-unknown) was the widow of Mark Richardson, Sr. who was born about 1840 in South Carolina. She and many of her immediate family left South Carolina for Florida after the death of her husband Mark.
Sarah worked as a midwife. She had moved from South Carolina to Fort McCoy, Marion County, Florida with her twin sons Mark and Matthew, as well as two of her grandchildren Arthur and Esther Richardson. Her son Robert, his wife Martha, and their three children. Her only daughter and son-in-law also moved with Sarah to Florida.
Colorized by John Smith
Full-length portrait of Thelma Berry and O. C. Richardson.
Thelma and O. C. Richardson were the parents of William and Hutchinson Richardson. This is the only known photograph of O.C. Richardson. O.C. Richardson was kidnapped and later died being held in a chain gang in Alabama after the birth of his second son.
