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 collected:
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 a scene of buildings on fire from the Tulsa Race Massacre. The image has been taken from an elevated view, with power lines in the foreground, followed by rooftops and billowing dark smoke in the background. Handwritten into the negative and appearing in white text is [LITTLE AFRICA ON FIRE / 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.
