Emma's Postcard Album: Black Lives in the Early Twentieth Century

In the early 20th century, African Americans faced severe discrimination, including lynchings, mob attacks, and Jim Crow segregation. Emma Crawford, a young African American woman from Pennsylvania, collected postcards from friends and family members during this period and created a scrapbook called "Emma's Postcard Album." The album provides a unique insight into the lives of African Americans and their survival strategies during a challenging time. Faith Mitchell's book, "Emma's Postcard Album," interprets the postcards as life writings and offers a new perspective on African American history and culture. The book is visually stunning, with illustrations from postcards, newspaper clippings, and archival material.

Format: Hardback
Length: 277 pages
Publication date: 21 December 2022
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi

The turn of the twentieth century was a challenging and tumultuous era for African Americans, marked by widespread lynchings, mob attacks, and the pervasive system of Jim Crow segregation. Amidst this bleak period, a young African American woman named Emma Crawford residing in Pennsylvania took solace in her correspondence through postcards. She actively engaged in this form of communication with friends and family members, and her collection grew to encompass postcards received from across the country. Analyzed in Emma's Postcard Album, her album spans from 1906 to 1910 and offers a profound insight into the intricacies and complexities of African American lives.

As glimpses into lived experiences, captivating visual images, and reflections of historical moments, the postcards in Emma's collection become invaluable sources for understanding not only African American history but also broader American history and culture. In her innovative approach, Faith Mitchell places the contents of this postcard collection into specific historical and biographical contexts, offering a fresh interpretation of postcards as life writings. This neglected aspect of scholarship sheds light on a previously unknown world, providing new insights into the perspectives and experiences of African Americans, expressed in their own words.

To enhance the reader's experience, Emma's Postcard Album is visually captivating, adorned with striking images from the Golden Age of postcards, as well as newspaper clippings and other archival material. The text seamlessly blends historical analysis with visual imagery, creating a rich and immersive narrative that captivates the reader's attention.

In conclusion, Emma's Postcard Album serves as a poignant testament to the resilience and perseverance of African Americans during a period of immense adversity. Through the lens of postcards, Mitchell offers a unique perspective on the lives of African Americans, shedding light on their experiences and contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of American history and culture. This captivating work is a visual feast that invites readers to explore a forgotten chapter of American history and appreciate the profound impact of personal narratives on our collective understanding of the past.

Dimension: 254 x 178 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781496843159