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Title
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William Upshur on phone at desk
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Description
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A black and white photograph taken by John W. Mosley (1907-1969) featuring William “Bill” Arthur Upshur Jr. (1894-1963) on the phone at his office desk. His business card for his funeral home is stapled to the photo. Another photo flipped right side down sits above. It has handwritten inscriptions.
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William A. Upshur Jr. was a Pennsylvania state representative, Republican leader of Philadelphia's 30th Ward, secretary of the Republican City Committee and director of his own funeral home.
Mosley used the medium of photography to shape how Black Americans were represented. From the 1930s through the 1960s, he photographed daily Black life and vitality in segregated Philadelphia. He was intentional about capturing Black happiness, success, dignity, and assertiveness. He instinctively knew how to “frame a shot” and “capture people in their environment so that place and face seemingly interact” (Willis-Thomas 1989, 105).
More information is available in the annotation of the image.
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Contributor
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The Library Company of Philadelphia
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Date Created
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c. 1960
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Creator
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Willis, Georgine Upshur
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Rights
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This work is not in copyright, but commercial uses of this digital representation are limited. For more information, contact printroom@librarycompany.org and see http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-NC/1.0/
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Identifier
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P.2022.16.12 (with verso)
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Language
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eng
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Format
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Image
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Extent
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1 image
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Spatial Coverage
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Philadelphia, PA
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Publisher
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The Library Company of Philadelphia
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Is Part Of
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Stevens-Cogdell/Sanders Venning Collection - Upshur Willis Collection_Georgine E. Upshur Willis collection_P.2022.16.12
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Subject
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African Americans
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Black-and-white photography
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Black people
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Mosley, John W.
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Legislators
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Middle class African Americans
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Photography
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Politicians
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Undertakers and undertaking
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transcription
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[Photo back] Warm Greeting 1960
(Richard Nixon)
Next President
United States
“Bill Upshur”
2 x 30
1960 GOP Convention in Chicago
[Business Card]
DAY AND NIGHT SERVICE
LADY ATTENDANT
PHONES: KI 5-3877
KI 5-5660
Williams A. Upshur, Jr. Funeral Home
N.E. CORNER
21ST AND CHRISTIAN STREETS
PROMPT SERVICE
PHILADELPHIA, P., 19146
P.2022.16.12a
William Upshur on phone at desk 