Photographic postcard of spectators in Springfield, Illinois

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

A black-and-white photographic postcard of spectators walking through race riot destruction in Springfield, Illinois. The image comes from an albumen print and captures groups of men, women, and children, in the daytime, gathered along a dusty street in town. They are all dressed in tailored clothing which includes hats, jackets and trousers, blouses with long skirts, and dresses. Most of the individuals stand outside of a large two-story brick building which displays seventeen (17) “TUE AUG / 18 / RINGLING BROS” signs above, between, and below, destroyed windows. Attached to the large building are two others to its right, numbers 724 [C.L.KING / A.L.MILLER] and 722 [WITHEY / CARRIAGE]. Both buildings exhibit signs of destruction on their brick fronts. The image coverages a majority of the front postcard, with white space visible on the left, top, and right.

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