2.1. Portraits and Snapshots, circa 1930s-1990s

The collection consists of business records, correspondence, photographs, negatives, and personal material. Business records include handwritten contacts and notes pertaining to customers' requests, licenses, correspondence, receipts, and supplies.

The bulk of the collection is composed of photographs of African Americans, which include family, group, and individual portraits; events; architecture; snapshots; reprints; and negatives. Aside from general individual and group portraits, there are photographs depicting various occupations, fraternal organizations, and school functions. Events include dances, weddings, funerals, school events, and other community events. Represented in organizations are local church and religious groups, fraternal orders, and musical performers. A small portion of the photographs are scenes of various architecture and roadways in Charleston. The reprints and negatives span the range of subjects contained in the photographs.

In addition to business records and photographs, a portion of the collection contains personal material, notably photograph albums of the Coards family.