[Family portrait from the Kenneth B. Clark papers]

Archive record

1 photographic print. | Photograph showing an African American family, possibly that of Mamie Phipps Clark or Kenneth B. Clark, in a copy of an oval studio portrait.

About this photograph

This oval studio portrait shows an African American family, possibly connected to Mamie Phipps Clark or Kenneth B. Clark, whose papers form the collection where this image was preserved.

Studio portraiture held particular importance in Black communities during this period. At a time when published images of African Americans were dominated by caricature, sitting for a formal portrait served as a deliberate assertion of dignity and standing. Black-owned studios operated in many cities to serve clientele that white studios often refused or treated poorly.

The portrait exists now as a photographic copy of the original oval studio image. The specific identities of the sitters were not recorded in the archive catalogue. Such gaps in identification were common in catalogue records of the era, which frequently left Black sitters unnamed while naming white ones, reflecting the record-keeping practices rather than any lack of importance of the subjects themselves.

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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