vintage fotos and antique shops

I went antiquing this weekend (can’t say I say that often) in Brooklyn and found priceless old photographs, only after sifting through probably hundreds of images. It didn’t surprise me that I didn’t come across many images of nonwhite people but it did get kind of exhausting after a while. There were countless pictures of families, friends, and individuals navigating both ordinary and special days, covering a span of life events, down to the minute. But the absence of images of people of color, specifically African Americans, was discouraging. It’s almost as if they were written out of the American family, memory, and citizenship. But I am grateful for these gems that I did manage to find, enjoy:

text written in red ink on the photo: Jack Henderson, 1910-1974. based on that, I assume this image was captured in the 60s? toward the end of this man's life.
text written in red ink on the photo: Jack Henderson, 1910-1974. based on that, I assume this image was captured in the 60s? toward the end of this man’s life.
there's no information on the photo but I want to say that they're sisters? they have to family, they have the same eyes.
there’s no information on the photo but I want to say that they’re sisters? they have to be family, they have the same eyes.
how regal is this woman?
how regal does this woman look?
there's no information on this picture either. I love her pose.
there’s no information on this picture either. I love her pose.

The following images are from postcards I purchased at the Brooklyn Book Festival:

LOL is it just me or do you love this man's facial expression? I wonder what he was thinking in this moment. the postcard caption reads: Portrait of a New York family - 1905, Photograph by W.S. Ritch.
LOL is it just me or do you love this man’s facial expression, too? I wonder what he was thinking in this moment. the postcard caption reads: Manhattan Series #106. Portrait of a New York family – 1905, Photograph by W.S. Ritch.
two women on a stoop. postcard caption reads: NYC Tenement Series #110. West 53rd St., Manhattan - 1927
two women on a stoop. postcard caption reads: NYC Tenement Series #110. West 53rd St., Manhattan – 1927
postcard caption: Historic Brooklyn Series #322. Local 135 workers on strike, picketing Colonial Laundry at Lexington and Grand Avenues. Clinton Hill, Brooklyn - 1934.
postcard caption: Historic Brooklyn Series #322. Local 135 workers on strike, picketing Colonial Laundry at Lexington and Grand Avenues. Clinton Hill, Brooklyn – 1934.

back to images from the antique shop:

and the ultimate gem, looks to have been published in a magazine: March 25, 1965 - Montgomery, Alabama: Dr. Martin Luther King leads estimated 10,000 or more civil-rights marchers out on last leg of their Selma-to-Montgomery march. (UPI Photos).
and the ultimate gem, looks to have been published in a magazine: March 25, 1965 – Montgomery, Alabama: Dr. Martin Luther King leads estimated 10,000 or more civil-rights marchers out on last leg of their Selma-to-Montgomery march. (UPI Photos). Coretta Scott King ❤
the talented Debbie Allen in an advertisement for the 1981 movie, Ragtime.
the talented Debbie Allen in an advertisement for the 1981 movie, Ragtime, which was actually set in the early 1900s. #HowardUniversity #excellence
Debbie's costar in the 1981 film, Coalhouse Walker. I love the phone he's holding.
Howard E. Rollins, Jr., Debbie’s costar in the 1981 film, which was actually set in the early 1900s. I love the phone he’s holding. I love everything about his features, from his hair, eyebrows, eyes. #perfection

I conclude this post with #ThankGodForMelanin.