Photographic postcard to Dr. Arthur Melvin Townsend from Emma Azalia Hackley: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A black-and-white photographic postcard of the Normal Vocal Institute in Chicago, IL. The photograph captures the building where the institution was housed, with an entrance up the stairs on the left and right side. There is a tree in front of the entrance on the left. Printed at the top of the photograph [NORMAL VOCAL INSTITUTE / 3019 CALUMET AV. CHICAGO]. The back of the postcard is used with [POST CARD] printed in black at the top with two sections horizontally divided, with [CORRESPONDANCE HERE] on the left and [ADDRESS HERE] on the right. Along the left edge is information on the photography studio. The handwritten message was written by Emma Azalia Hackley to Dr. Arthur Melvin Townsend about the school and seeing Mrs. Willa Ann Hadley.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: November 4, 1915
• Photograph by: P. L. Huckins, American
• Written by: Emma Azalia Hackley, 1867 - 1922
• Received by: Dr. Arthur Melvin Townsend Sr., American, 1875 - 1959
• Subject of: Normal Vocal Institute, American, 1914 - 1917
• Subject of: Willa Ann Hadley Townsend, American, 1880 - 1947
• Type: photographic postcards
• Medium: ink on paper
• Dimensions: H x W: 5 3/8 x 3 1/2 in. (13.7 x 8.9 cm)
• Place made: Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States, North and Central America
• Place depicted: Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Correspondence
• Topic: Education
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Urban life
• Object number: 2011.36.60
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The displayed image also has an explicit CC0 designation. The underlying object's rights statement is: No known copyright restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.