silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper, with ink on paper
Dimensions:
H x W: 3 3/8 x 5 1/2 in. (8.6 x 14 cm)
Type:
gelatin silver prints
photographic postcards
Place depicted:
Tulsa, Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States, North and Central America
Date:
1921
Caption:
On May 31 and June 1, 1921, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, mobs of white residents brutally attacked the African American community of Greenwood, colloquially known as "Black Wall Street," in the deadliest racial massacre in U.S. history. Homes, businesses, and community structures including schools, churches, a hospital, and the library were looted and burned or otherwise destroyed. Exact statistics are unknown, but the violence left around 10,000 people homeless and as many as 300 people dead with many more missing and wounded.
Photo postcards of the Tulsa Race Massacre were widely distributed following the massacre in 1921. Like postcards depicting lynchings, these souvenir cards were powerful declarations of white racial power and control. Decades later, the cards served as evidence for community members working to recover the forgotten history of the riot and secure justice for its victims and their descendants.
Description:
A sepia-toned photographic postcard depicting the destroyed Greenwood district of Tulsa after the Tulsa Race Massacre. Taken from an elevated position, the image depicts blocks of rubble where there had been homes and businesses. At the top right, an empty building facade stands. In the far background are several trees. At the bottom right corner, written into the negative and appearing as white text is [RUINS OF THE / TULSA RACE RIOT / 6-1-1921]. The verso is marked [POST CARD] at the top with spaces for [CORRESPONDENCE] and [ADDRESS] and an AZO stamp box in the top right corner.
