An Exploration of Generational Freedom in Charleston, South Carolina, circa 1926-1939

📸: “No Known Title,” circa 1926 to circa 1939, in Charleston, South Carolina, by Michael Francis Blake photographs, Duke University Libraries Repisotoray Collections & Archives 

The description of this archival image reads “Woman dressed in a man's suit, identified as Mary Buckingham Brown.” This image intrigues me because of the apparel Mary has chosen to wear. Mary’s apparel went against the gender norms/expectations of this time period. I also love how this image is a rare example of how we know the subject’s name… Mary Buckingham Brown.

Look at the superb construction of the suit, the right hand in the pocket, the stance, the stare directly into the camera, the soft smile, & the heeled shoe with the pants! Mary put together a fit that exudes confidence. Moreover, I believe Mary felt confident & safe enough to capture this sense of embodiment in a portrait. 

There is a rich lineage of African-American portraits because we recognized the ability to have agency in how we represented ourselves. Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, & Frederick Douglass’ portraits all come to mind. Most of the time, their portraits were used to help them make a living & support their abolitionist cause.

Yet Mary’s, to paraphrase Sojourner’s portrait caption, shadow is captured not to support the substance but for some unknown reason. During 1926-1928 the roaring 20s, an era of decadence, was still raging on. That is until 1939, when the stock market crashed which officially ushered in the Great Depression. Additionally, Mary is a Black person who at some time during 1926-1939 is in the deep south. Therefore, Jim Crow Laws and violent terror enforced by white mobs were still a threat. So what motivated Mary to stand for this portrait photographed by Michael Francis Blake?