Pics of Then

By: usermattw

Feb 25 2013

Tags: African American, antiques, photography

Category: Baum, Groups

4 Comments

Click here to view it larger.

What it is:

Photo measuring 7.75 x 5.75 inches.

What I know about it:

There is no identifying information on this photo, but see below.

Comments:

This is another photo from the estate of Dorothy Baum.  (You can see previous posts from that estate here.)  Mrs. Baum and her husband William were heavily involved in fraternal organizations, she in the Daughters of Isis, and he in the Negro Elks (back when African-Americans had to have their own separate Elks lodges).  The photos I have show their activities related to these organizations, and this photo is from an album of press photos.   Many of the press photos give information about the content, some with elaborate descriptions, some with just dates and locations.  This is one of the ones with no information at all.  Neither of the Baums are in this photo, and indeed I don’t recognize anyone.  But the woman standing second from the left in the front has some fraternal regalia around her neck, so it seems the photo is not out of place in this album.  The flags on the table provide clues, though.  For instance, they help date the photo to 1960-1965, since the United States flag with fifty stars was in use after 1960, and the flag on the far left is the Canadian flag in use until 1965.  And though they are hard to see, I believe the other two flags are the flags of Massachusetts and Connecticut (the Baums lived in Connecticut).  That collection of flags suggests to me that this ceremony might relate to the New England States – Eastern Canada Association of the Elks of the World, a regional division of the Elks, especially since there are other press items in this album related to that branch.  In any case, I think it’s a wonderful collection of faces to look at.