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- Title
- The colored band
- Description
- Photographic reproduction of a print drawn by Helen M. Colburn, daughter of New Jersey artist Rembrandt Lockwood, depicting African American women and girl spectators reacting to a passing African American marching band. The figures are drawn with racist and caricatured features and mannerisms. Shows in the foreground, two girls and a younger and an older woman, running next to and toward the band, mimicking the band leader, and dancing. The girls and women are barefoot and wear shift dresses of either calf or ankle lengths. The older, running woman (in right) also wears a kerchief. The mimicking girl who stomps and raises her left arm in front of the band leader wears short-cropped hair and is attired in a dress with wornout sleeves (center). The young woman dancing (center) and the running girl (left) wear their hair full and wavy. In the center foreground, the band leader looks past the girl in front of him. He wears a mustache and is attired in a tall, round-top shako with plume and a uniform. The uniform has tassels at the shoulder and a decorative chest plate and pants with a vertical stripe on the outseam. He holds up a mace adorned with an eagle with his right hand. In the background, members of the marching band, attired in caps with plumes and uniforms, play tubas. A line of older African American boys and a girl walks ahead of the band. Two of the children look behind themselves toward the band, including a boy with a look of surprise. During the Civil War, African American brass bands were formed by white commanding officers to promote and increase recruitment of African American soldiers. Following the war, many of the ex-military musicians formed civilian bands associated with quasi-military drill teams, volunteer organizations, and social clubs., Robinson, married to Washington U.S. Treasury clerk Rollinson Colburn, lived in the Capitol between circa 1870 and her death in 1912. In 1887 eight of her works, some purported to be based on her own eye-witness accounts during the 1870s, showing African American life in the city were published as a collectible series of photographs. Occassionally, Colburn described and signed her descriptions of the scenes on the versos of the photographs., Title printed on mount., Date from copy right statement printed on mount: Copyright 1887., Written in lower left of original print: Copyright 1881. Mrs. R. Colburn, RVCDC, Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022., Purchased with the 2019 Junto Fund.
- Date
- 1887
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department photos - 5 x 7 - unidentified - Events [P.2020.16.1]
- Title
- Monday morning or the tender passion
- Description
- Photographic reproduction of a print drawn by Helen M. Colburn, daughter of New Jersey artist Rembrandt Lockwood, depicting an outdoor wash day. The figures are drawn with racist and caricatured features and mannerisms. Shows, in the background, in the right an African American woman bent over and with her hands in a wash tub. A basin and large ladle rest near the tub. Behind her, a sheet and stockings hang from a clothes line. In the left background, an African American woman, standing on the tops of her toes, pins a sheet to a clothesline. A wooden basket of laundry rests by her feet. A young African American girl with short hair peers at the woman hanging the wash from behind a hanging sheet. The women wear kerchiefs, shirtwaists with the sleeves rolled up, and long pleated skirts with aprons. Between the women, an African American man attired in a panama hat, a shirt, a cross tie, long jacket, and pants, stands, looking to the left and with his left hand on his hip, and holding a cane in his right hand. In the center foreground, two barefoot young African American boys face each other and dance. The boys are attired in long-sleeved blousy shirts and pants. One boy has his back to the viewer. The boy facing the viewer also wears a bucket hat. Robinson, married to Washington U.S. Treasury clerk Rollinson Colburn, lived in the Capitol between circa 1870 and her death in 1912. In 1887 eight of her works, some purported to based on her own eye-witness accounts during the 1870s, showing African American life in the city were published as a collectible series of photographs. Occassionally, Colburn described and signed her descriptions of the scenes on the versos of the photographs., Title printed on mount., Date from copy right statement printed on mount: Copyright 1887., Written in lower right of original print: Mrs. R. Colburn 1877., RVCDC, Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022., Purchased with the 2019 Junto Fund.
- Date
- 1887
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department photos - 5 x 7 - unidentified - Events [P.2020.16.2]
- Title
- The old and the new – “Nothin’ but niggers nohow.”
- Description
- Photographic reproduction of a print drawn by Helen M. Colburn, daughter of New Jersey artist Rembrandt Lockwood, depicting an older African American woman watching and "judging" a young African American couple walking in a park. The figures are drawn with racist and caricatured features and mannerisms. Shows, in the right, the older woman, attired in a kerchief, coat, shawl, long skirt, and holding a wooden cane, and with a squinted expression looking toward the back of a fashionably-attired couple in the left. The man of the couple to the right of the woman looks down and at his companion whose back is to the viewer. She is attired in a cap, a long winter wrap, and a skirt with a short train. The man wears an imperial mustache and is attired in a cap and a long winter coat. The man and women walk on a path lined with trees and birds peck at the ground. In the far left background, a woman and child attired in winter wear and walking on the path are visible. Robinson, married to Washington U.S. Treasury clerk Rollinson Colburn, lived in the Capitol between circa 1870 and her death in 1912. In 1887 eight of her works, some purported to based on her own eye-witness accounts during the 1870s, showing African American life in the city were published as a collectible series of photographs. Occassionally, Colburn described and signed her descriptions of the scenes on the versos of the photographs., Title printed on mount., Date from copy right statement printed on mount: Copyright 1887., Written in lower right of original print: Mrs. R. Colburn 1881., RVCDC, Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022., Purchased with the 2019 Junto Fund.
- Date
- 1887
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department photos - 5 x 7 - unidentified - Events [P.2020.16.3]
- Title
- Street cries
- Description
- Photographic reproduction of a print drawn by Helen M. Colburn, daughter of New Jersey artist Rembrandt Lockwood, depicting a group of African American men and boy peddlers at the corner of a city street. The figures are drawn with racist and caricatured features and mannerisms. In the center, a milk peddler stands and hawks with a trumpet in his left hand and a canteen of milk, ladle, and pitcher in his right hand. The man is attired in a wide-brimmed hat, shirtsleeves, pants, and a long apron. To the left, another African American man peddler pushes a large cart of junk wares and looks down at a young African American child running from a dog. The man wears a rumpled top hat, torn shirtsleeves, a vest, and patched pants. The child wears a smock dress and their hat has fallen by the feet of the milk peddler. In the right, a newspaper boy hawks the papers under his right arm. He is attired in a soft-brimmed hat, jacket, and pants. In the far right, a man attired in a hat, a shirt with turned-up collar, a long jacket, and striped pants, holds a bell and has his left leg stepped up on a box. Cityscape, a white woman street vendor at a table, and a horse-drawn cart are visible in the background. Robinson, married to Washington U.S. Treasury clerk Rollinson Colburn, lived in the Capitol between circa 1870 and her death in 1912. In 1887 eight of her works, some purported to be based on her own eye-witness accounts during the 1870s, showing African American life in the city were published as a collectible series of photographs. Occassionally, Colburn described and signed her descriptions of the scenes on the versos of the photographs., Title printed on mount., Date from copy right statement printed on mount: Copyright 1887., Written in lower right of original print: Mrs. R. Colburn 1870., RVCDC, Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022., Purchased with the 2019 Junto Fund.
- Date
- 1887
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department photos - 5 x 7 - unidentified - Events [P.2020.16.5]
- Title
- Saturday evening
- Description
- Photographic reproduction of a print drawn by Helen M. Colburn, daughter of New Jersey artist Rembrandt Lockwood, depicting an African American family returning from a market trip. The figures are drawn with racist and caricatured features and mannerisms. Shows in the left, a bare-footed, young boy, attired in a long-sleeved shirt, breeches, and suspenders, striding next to and looking up at this mother who carries a watermelon on her head. She smokes a pipe and walks with her hands on her hips. She is attired in a bonnet that covers much of her face, shift dress, and apron. Behind her, in the center of the image, the father of the family walks next to a black dog and with two large cabbages tucked into his arms. He slightly frowns and is attired in a short-brimmed hat, long-sleeved shirt, vest and pants. In the right, is an older son, who looks at the viewer. He carries a large basket of produce over his left arm. He is attired in a wide-brimmed hat, long-sleeved shirt, long apron, and pants. In the background, a wooden fence and the tops of trees are visible. Image also shows a white woman, wearing her long, light-colored hair down on her shoulders, and attired in a wide-brimmed hat, and long-sleeved, narrow silhouette dress with an overskirt walking between the fence and the family. Robinson, married to Washington U.S. Treasury clerk Rollinson Colburn, lived in the Capitol between circa 1870 and her death in 1912. In 1887 eight of her works, some purported to be based on her own eye-witness accounts during the 1870s, showing African American life in the city were published as a collectible series of photographs. Occassionally, Colburn described and signed her descriptions of the scenes on the versos of the photographs., Title from item. Title printed on mount and written on original print., Date from copy right statement printed on mount: Copyright 1887., Written in lower right of original print: Mrs. R. Colburn., RVCDC, Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022., Purchased with the 2019 Junto Fund.
- Date
- 1887
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department photos - 5 x 7 - unidentified - Events [P.2020.16.4]