Black-owned photography studios (1890s–1940s)

CTL-E-1325 · Institution · other · 1890–1949

PROVISIONAL evidence grade of this record

Dozens of Black-owned commercial studios generating portraits and photojournalism for the Great Migration community.

Notes

Merged into canonical KG 2026-10-03 from LIFE-001; source entity IDs: CTL-DR-LIFE-001:CTL-LIFE-E-062; source research type(s): institution.

Sources

Newberry Library, 'Say It with Pictures: Photography, Black Chicago…' exhibition page (n.d.)
Newberry Library exhibition page (n.d.)

Record CTL-E-1325 · CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph · evidence grade: PROVISIONAL · 2 sources · CTL research: LIFE-001.
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Cite as: CultureTechLens, “Black-owned photography studios (1890s–1940s) (CTL-E-1325),” CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph, October 2026. https://culturetechlens.com/graph/entities/ctl-e-1325/

Chicago: CultureTechLens. “Black-owned photography studios (1890s–1940s) (CTL-E-1325).” CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph. Chicago, IL: CultureTechLens, 2026. https://culturetechlens.com/graph/entities/ctl-e-1325/
APA: CultureTechLens. (2026). Black-owned photography studios (1890s–1940s) (CTL-E-1325) [Entity record]. CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph. https://culturetechlens.com/graph/entities/ctl-e-1325/
MLA: CultureTechLens. “Black-owned photography studios (1890s–1940s) (CTL-E-1325).” CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph, 2026, https://culturetechlens.com/graph/entities/ctl-e-1325/

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From the Archive

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The people, places, and institutions this work documents. Photographs from the CultureTechLens research record — rights-cleared, credited, and cited like everything else here.

Negro swinging his girl on roller skates. Savoy Ballroom, Chicago, Illinois, Chicago, 1941Photo: Lee, Russell, 1903-1986, FSA-OWI, Public Domain, via Library of Congress

Shoeshine, 47th Street, Chicago's main Negro business street, Chicago, Illinois, Chicago, 1941Photo: Rosskam, Edwin, 1903-1985, FSA-OWI, Public Domain, via Library of Congress

Apartment houses and funeral parlor in Negro section of Chicago, Illinois, Chicago, 1941Photo: Lee, Russell, 1903-1986, FSA-OWI, Public Domain, via Library of Congress

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