1183 results for: Black/African American
Photograph
U.S. Post office employees in front of Ballard Station, Seattle, June 1956
The first United States Post Office in Seattle--and the first in King County--opened in 1853 in pioneer Arthur Armstrong Denny's (1822-1899) log cabin home on Front Street (now First Avenue) and Marion Street, with Denny named the first postmaster. Previously, all mail for Seattle and Alki was delivered once a week by canoe from Olympia. The Seattle Post Office lacked…
ID Number:1972.5319.70
Date:1956
Photograph
Postmaster George Morry and post office supervisors, Seattle, October 30, 1956
The first United States Post Office in Seattle--and the first in King County--opened in 1853 in pioneer Arthur Armstrong Denny's (1822-1899) log cabin home on Front Street (now First Avenue) and Marion Street, with Denny named the first postmaster. Previously, all mail for Seattle and Alki was delivered once a week by canoe from Olympia. The Seattle Post Office lacked…
ID Number:1972.5319.72
Date:1956
Photograph
Football player Brice Taylor, Seattle, circa 1923
Brice Taylor attended Franklin High School in Seattle in the early 1920s. From 1924 to 1926 he played guard for the University of Southern California's football team. Taylor, an outstanding African-American athlete, was only 5'9" and 185 pounds. In 1925, he became the first football All-American at the University of Southern California, despite being born without a left hand.This portrait…
ID Number:1974.5923.194
Date:Circa 1923
Photograph
Two workmen in Port Blakely Mill boiler room, circa 1900
Captain William Renton founded the first Port Blakely mill in 1864 on Bainbridge Island's Blakely Harbor. The mill burned down and was rebuilt in 1888. The rebuilt mill was the largest sawmill on the Pacific Coast and was a major employer on Bainbridge Island. The mills boiler house contained three 300-horsepower boilers that converted sawdust and scrap wood into steam.…
ID Number:1977.6486.61
Date:Circa 1900
Photograph
Men with horse team on First Avenue, Seattle, circa 1890
In this image, a group of men pose with a horse-drawn wagon on the boardwalk along First Avenue just past Cherry Street. The wagon appears to be carrying a large slab of marble or other stone, perhaps part of the reconstruction efforts after the Great Seattle Fire of 1889, when rebuilding efforts favored steel, stone, and brick construction over the…
ID Number:1980.6923.41
Date:Circa 1890
Ephemera
Marian Anderson concert program, March 1, 1938
A group of Seattle women, all trained musicians, formed Seattle’s Ladies Musical Club in 1891. In 1900, the club inaugurated its International Concert Series, which ran for nearly a century. Famed African American contralto Marian Anderson was among the many well-known performers who came to Seattle under the auspices of the club.Although Anderson had won awards and acclaim, racial prejudice…
ID Number:1981.7337.33.1
Date:1938
Photograph
Pullman porters and women on the railroad platform, May 26, 1934
Black pullman porters were as much part of long-distance train travel as flight attendants are today on planes. The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, to which these men belonged, was the first successful union controlled by African Americans. When it was founded in 1925, Black workers were barred from membership in many trade unions.In this photo, taken in Seattle in…
ID Number:1983.10.903
Date:1934
Photograph
Military veterans learning automobile mechanics, January 1920
After the veterans of World War I returned home in 1918, many had trouble finding work. The Knights of Columbus, a Roman Catholic benefit organization, sponsored a free evening school to help them learn job skills. In this photo, World War I veterans are learning auto mechanics. At least one member of the group is an African-American. Webster & Stevens…
ID Number:1983.10.1791.8
Date:1920
Photograph
Football team at the University of Washington, circa 1920
In the early 1920s, football uniforms had much less padding than today's uniforms. In addition, games were played on grass rather than artificial turf. In this photo, taken in the early 1920s, the football team sitting on wooden bleachers. The team had one African American member, Hamilton L. Greene, of Seattle. Webster & Stevens number: 86913
ID Number:1983.10.2354
Date:Circa 1920
Photograph
Street sweeper, circa 1912
Before 1908, when the city of Seattle took over the maintenance of city streets, streets were cleaned (or not cleaned) by local residents and business owners. Manure was a particular problem because most vehicles of the time were pulled by horses and other animals. The city hired people to clean the manure and garbage from the streets. In this photo,…
ID Number:1983.10.8653.1
Date:Circa 1912