Birthday portrait (Doris Price)
- Metadata
Title
Birthday portrait (Doris Price)
Series Title
Date Created
July 1953
Description
Black and white photo of Doris Price at her birthday party in Parchester. The photograph was taken by Ellis Bayles Myers, who was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana on December 5th, 1916. Growing up, Myers quit school after the fifth grade in order to help support his family. In 1943, he was drafted into a segregated regiment of the Marine Corps. It was during his time overseas Myers met a black photographer who inspired him to pursue photography.
In 1946, Myers moved to Richmond California to explore a new kind of freedom. California offered more opportunities than the segregated south and allowed Myers to establish his photography business. "In your home, at your convenience" was the motto for Ellis Myers photography business. The success of his photography business allowed Myers to move to Parchester Village, which allowed him a permanent darkroom in his garage. Although the photo business was financially succesSan Franciscoul and personally satiSan Franciscoying, Myers abandoned his business around 1960 with the introduction of color photography.
The Myers collection is significant because it includes a high quantity of images portraying the postwar African-Americans community enjoying a middle-class lifestyle in Richmond, California. African-Americans in the post war period (1946-1960) faced a range of systemic inequalities that provided inequal distribution of resources. The collection includes a variety of types of images including community social events, nightlife, family events, church events and formal portraits. The images show, that despite the systemic inequalities, the postwar African American community in Richmond fully participated in the local economy, leisure events, social clubs, religious activities and politics.
Creators and Contributors
Creator:
Myers, Ellis
Subject Topic
Place(s)
Time Period
1940 to 1960
Media type
Format
Photograph
Extent
2
Pages
Dimensions
8
x
10
in
Generation
Original
Copyright Statement
Copyrighted. Rights are owned by Richmond Museum of History. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the Copyright Holder. In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Country of Creation
United States
Source Institution
Call Number
3316.01
2003.063.0005
2003.063.0005
Link to Internet Archive