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Rare group of three original vintage photographs attributed to R. D. Jones, an early Chicago-area African American studio photographer whose surviving work provides an important visual record of Black life, portraiture, fashion, and identity during the early 20th century.
These photographs appear to date to approximately the 1920s–1930s and include striking studio portraits produced during an era when professional Black photographers were documenting communities that were frequently overlooked by the mainstream photographic establishment.
R. D. Jones is historically notable for his Chicago portrait work. A particularly important example associated with his studio is a 1925 portrait of Noble Drew Ali, founder of the Moorish Science Temple of America, held in the collection of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.
The three photographs offered here are being sold together as a small historical archive. The sitters have not been identified.
Details: • Three original period photographs
• R. D. Jones studio attribution
• Chicago / East Chicago area
• Circa 1920s–1930s
• African American photographic history
• Original vintage photographs — not modern reproductions
• Sold as one group
A compelling group for collectors of African American history, Black Chicago history, early photography, studio portraiture, and historically significant American photographers.
Please examine all photographs carefully for condition, markings, studio information, and other details. Sold as found.
Thanks for looking.
