• Visit
    • Museum Accessibility
    • Community Access
    • Group Visits and Tours
    • Programs
      • History Café
      • MOHAI Mercantile Literary Series
      • First Thursday
      • Denny Lecture
      • Al Young Educator of the Year
      • Everyday Heroes
    • MOHAI Mercantile
    • Gourmondo at MOHAI
  • Exhibits
  • Events
  • Collections and Research
    • Collections Search
    • Themed Collections
    • Research Library
    • Image Ordering
    • Donate an Artifact
    • Curator’s Fellowship
  • Support
    • Donate
    • Membership at MOHAI
    • Gift Memberships
    • Corporate Support
  • Education
    • Field Trips
      • Self-Guided School Year Explorations
      • Creating Our Community
      • Cracking the History Code: Salish Stories
      • Cracking the History Code: Settling Around the Sound
      • Hands on History
      • Self-Guided Summer Field Trips
      • Homeschool Group
    • Portable Museum Program
    • Scholarships
    • Education FAQ
    • Primary Source Analysis
    • Online Curricula
    • Teen Programs
    • Idea Lab
    • Discovery Packs
    • Summer Camps
  • About
    • Annual Reports
    • The MOHAI Blog
    • Contact MOHAI
    • Opportunities
    • Leadership
    • Private Events
  • Donate
  • Tickets
  • Membership
HomeCollections and ResearchCollections Search

Collections Search

Explore stories in Northwest history through highlights from MOHAI’s collections. Search by keyword below or browse the entire online collection by entering the asterisk symbol (*). Filter your search by type of materials.

Download lower resolution images directly from an item page. MOHAI offers high-resolution digital reproductions of photographs and other materials from our collections for personal and professional use.

We have many more items in our collections and not everything you see online is on view at the museum. We have additional materials online at the University of Washington’s Digital Collections.

MOHAI Statement on Harmful Content

Search by Collection

Not finding what you are looking for?
Ask the MOHAI Collections Staff

1183 results for: Black/African American

Share:
Image of Festival royalty riding in parade, Seattle, circa 1953
Photograph

Festival royalty riding in parade, Seattle, circa 1953

Mardi Gras was a Seafair parade held by the Black community in Seattle's Central District. Here, the Mardi Gras Queen and her attendants wave from a float during the Central District Mardi Gras Parade. Spectators watch from the sidewalks.
ID Number:2014.49.006.006.0015
Date:1955
Image of Don and Shirley Phelps sitting at a table at large venue Seattle, circa 1953
Photograph

Don and Shirley Phelps sitting at a table at large venue Seattle, circa 1953

Fashionably dressed for a formal dance party, Don and Shirley Phelps are seated at the dinner table.
ID Number:2014.49.006.006.0113
Date:Circa 1953
Image of Two men sitting at a bar, Seattle, circa 1953
Photograph

Two men sitting at a bar, Seattle, circa 1953

Two men, one smoking a cigar, sit together at a bar, a bottle of Heidelberg beer on the counter in front of them.
ID Number:2014.49.006.007.0017
Date:Circa 1953
Image of Izzie Smith standing in her front yard, Seattle, circa 1953
Photograph

Izzie Smith standing in her front yard, Seattle, circa 1953

Isabelle (Donaldson) "Izzy" Smith, the photographer's wife, stands in a well-groomed front yard. She wears a fur stole over her dress, along with white gloves, and a hat.
ID Number:2014.49.006.007.0018
Date:Circa 1953
Image of Betty Connelly with drink in back yard, Seattle, circa 1953
Photograph

Betty Connelly with drink in back yard, Seattle, circa 1953

Betty June (Hartsfield) Connelly holds a cool drink near a lounge chair in a back yard.
ID Number:2014.49.006.007.0019
Date:Circa 1953
Image of Izzy Smith with drink in backyard, Seattle, circa 1953
Photograph

Izzy Smith with drink in backyard, Seattle, circa 1953

Isabelle (Donaldson) "Izzie" Smith, the photographer's wife, holds a cool drink in a backyard. She wears pearl earrings, a pearl necklace, and a flowered hat.
ID Number:2014.49.006.007.0020
Date:Circa 1953
Image of Jason Gayle standing in parking lot in bathing suit and hat, Seattle, circa 1953
Photograph

Jason Gayle standing in parking lot in bathing suit and hat, Seattle, circa 1953

Jason Gayle, wearing swim trunks and straw hat, stands in a parking lot.
ID Number:2014.49.006.007.0021
Date:Circa 1953
Image of Sonny Norris lifeguarding at Madrona Beach, Seattle, circa 1955
Photograph

Sonny Norris lifeguarding at Madrona Beach, Seattle, circa 1955

Claude “Sonny” Norris, Jr., Seattle’s first black lifeguard and beach manager, is photographed on duty at Madrona Beach, which was considered by many to be Seattle’s "black beach" for picnics and swimming. Historians and the local black community disagree about the reason: some say it was segregation, others say self-segregation.
ID Number:2014.49.006.007.0095
Date:Circa 1955
Image of Portrait of Miss Allen, Seattle, circa 1953
Photograph

Portrait of Miss Allen, Seattle, circa 1953

Clemoris and Howard Allen's daughter wears a black and white lace dress with scalloped neckline and crystal earrings.
ID Number:2014.49.006.008.0022
Date:Circa 1953
Image of Carol Peoples looking over her father's shoulder, Seattle, circa 1953
Photograph

Carol Peoples looking over her father's shoulder, Seattle, circa 1953

Infant Carol Peoples (now Carol Peoples-Procter) looks over the shoulder of her father, John D. "Sonny" Peoples.
ID Number:2014.49.006.008.0023
Date:Circa 1953
Previous 1 … 68 69 70 71 72 … 119 Next

Land Acknowledgement

MOHAI stands on the historic and contemporary lands and shores of the Duwamish, Suquamish, Muckleshoot, and other Coast Salish Nations. We acknowledge the forced displacement of Native Communities from this land while honoring the endurance of the Duwamish people who still live here.
Address: 860 Terry Ave N, Seattle WA, 98109
Phone: 206 324 1126
  • Plan a Visit
  • Directions and Parking
  • Accessibility
  • Group Tours
  • About

Sign up to Receive our Newsletter

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Copyright 2026, Museum of History & Industry. All Rights Reserved