Saturday, February 23, 2008

Photo's from the Library of Congress part I: The Lomax Collection

The Lomax Collection:
Asheville Music Festival, Louisiana Plantation, Fiddling Bill Hensley Music Festivals, Camp Hospital and African Americans.

1934-ca. 1950. Snapshots documenting sound recording expeditions carried out by John Avery Lomax, Alan Lomax, and Ruby Terrill Lomax for the Archive of American Folk Song, including African American and Latino musicians, singers, and dancers, primarily in the southern United States and the Bahamas




































The collection includes 400 snapshot photographs made in the course of sound recording expeditions carried out by John Avery Lomax, Alan Lomax, and Ruby Terrill Lomax, between 1934 and ca. 1950 for the Archive of American Folk-Song. The photographs, which were transferred to the Prints and Photographs Division from the Archive of American Folk-Song in 1950, depict African American, Mexican American, and white musicians, singers and dancers, primarily in the southern United States (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Texas, and Virginia) and the Bahamas (Nassau, Andros Island, and Cat Island). In addition to posed portraits, the images show musicians performing in various settings: at home, in concert, and while performing prison labor outdoors. Views of children engaged in singing games, scenes of daily life, and some landscape views are also included. Folklorist Zora Neale Hurston, who assisted the Lomaxes on expeditions to Georgia and Florida, has been identified in a few photographs.


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I spent some time searching through the Library of Congresses HUGE database of images, a portion of which are in the public domain. There is some really amazing stuff there, in many very extensive collections. This is part one of a series of images I found (continue to find) there, which stood out to me. As a footnote I would point to the possible curatorial aspects of such endeavor as pursued in any manner.

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