silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper, with ink on paper
Dimensions:
H x W: 3 7/16 × 5 7/16 in. (8.7 × 13.8 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. This unidentified individual was just one of the many victims. The Oklahoma Bureau of Vital Statistics recorded the official death toll as 36, but it is now believed it may have been as high as 300 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 body of an unidentified victim of the Tulsa Race Massacre. The image shows the bloodied body lying on the ground amidst weeds and what appears to be a rail line. 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. There are no inscriptions, front or back.