Historical Portrait
Elinor Rodriguez, portrait, photograph
Archive record
Photograph caption: "Born in Oakland of Puerto Riqueno negro parents." Forms part of a group of field materials documenting Elinor Rodriguez performing a Spanish song from Puerto Rico on April 10, 1939, collected by Sidney Robertson Cowell in Oakland, California.
About this photograph
This portrait of Elinor Rodriguez was made in Oakland, California, in 1939 as part of field documentation by Sidney Robertson Cowell. The caption records that Rodriguez was born in Oakland to Puerto Rican parents described as negro. She was photographed while Cowell collected a recording of her performing a Spanish song from Puerto Rico on April 10, 1939.
The documentation forms part of the W.P.A. California Folk Music Project. Directed by Cowell and concentrated between 1938 and 1940, the project recorded and photographed traditional musicians across Northern California. Cowell worked deliberately across the state's immigrant communities rather than focusing on a single tradition.
Studio portraiture carried particular weight in Black communities during this period, when published images of African Americans were often caricatures. Sitting for a formal portrait was an assertion of dignity and standing. The project's recordings and photographs are held by the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.
Compiled from the catalogue record and reference notes on the formats and events involved. The archive record above is the primary source.
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