Featured Group picture, african american men

I checked the pins on his coat with a loupe and don't think it is '43'. That said, I don't know what it is.

I don't know clothing history. At least some seem to have long coats. But could be it is the older guys with longer suit coat lengths, so was there a change in style from longer to shorter, and if so when?

Flipper found a similar picture, but taken outdoors. The most similar picture I could find online, with drapery background, is church deacons from 1888. Don't know where else to go. Is it time to give up on this one?

 

What part of the country did you find it in?

Debora

 

Yes, I would look for historic African American associations in the area you found the photo. I agree with others that the clothing is c. turn of the century (1900). The long coats are "frock" coats, as noted previously - coats worn for formal occasions.

 

I'm in the Boston area. See fair amount of Harvard (and other colleges) stuff including from professors. But no african american professors at Harvard until 1969. So maybe pic is a collection of graduates from different years? - first a.a. graduate from Harvard in 1870. But then we're back to trying to match pictures, and there are a lot of old local colleges to consider (harvard, mit, BU, BC, Tufts, ...).

 

Long shot but... How about Harvard Law?

https://today.law.harvard.edu/celebrating-black-history-month-a-look-back-at-historic-firsts/

Debora

 

HOWARD UNIVERSITY 1900

 

I wish I had an outdoor picture like that, then I could compare buildings. But a pic inside a photographers studio doesn't give much to go on.

 

Good idea. I'm currently waiting for someone at their university museum to respond to me about the painting in another thread. If I manage to convince them I'm not a crackpot, maybe they could refer me to someone at the law school to look over this pic.

 

If you need me to put in a good word...

Debora

 

Thank you, I really appreciate it. I wish it was that easy to wade through the bureaucracy. I suspect the school shutting down for covid19 isn't helping...

 

Didn't men usually wear frock coats for a special event? Given the difference in ages, it wouldn't have been a reunion of classmates, for instance. Maybe professors from someplace like Howard University at the time of a graduation.