African American Collection of Fifteen Stereoviews--Moscow, Tennessee Circa 1906
Moscow, Tennessee: W.D. Bell, Circa 1906. African American Collection of Fifteen Stereoviews--Moscow, Tennessee Circa 1906
15 stereoviews from W.S. Bell, an amateur photographer from the Moscow, Tennessee, circa 1906. Most of the images in very good condition. Wear and light soiling to mounts. One view appears to be a double exposure. Several views slightly overexposed. Two images have pencil annotations (see photos) on verso; remaining backs blank. Stereoview plates include both glossy and matte images.
W.S. Bell was best known regionally for breeding and raising hunting dogs but apparently always had his camera at the ready. Attribution for this set of photos arrived via collection of hunting dog photos purchased in same lot.
Collection documents Jim Crow era sharecroppers in and around Moscow, Tennessee. Mostly posed photos of families including several children. Collection includes several candid photos next to W.J. Burdison's General Store in Moscow, TN plus a number of views posed in and around homes. One intriguing view shows three individuals standing behind a huge bale of cotton set on a porch. A quilt is laid adjacent to the bale. The bale must weigh a substantial amount. Two images became inadvertent self-portraits of W.S. Bell with his shadow cast in the foreground. Collection includes several outbuildings and one interior bedroom image.
An outstanding collection of an underdocumented period of American history. Item #200
Price: $2,150.00