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Title
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[Joe Louis on Chicken Bone Beach in Atlantic City, New Jersey]
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Description
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A black and white photograph taken by John W. Mosley (1907-1969). The photo features heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis (1914-1981) who sits in the center socializing with eight people on Chicken Bone Beach in Atlantic City, New Jersey. From 1937 to 1949, Joe Louis reigned as the heavyweight boxing champion of the world. He defended his title 25 times and was beaten only three times (Ledger-Enquirer 1991).
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The woman standing while opening or closing a container (fourth from the left of Louis) appears to be his third wife, Martha Jefferson Louis (1912-1991). Martha Jefferson Louis became the first African American woman to practice law in the state of California in 1943 (The Call 1943).
Between 1900 and the early 1950s, African Americans were socially restricted to use the Missouri Avenue Beach Area affectionately called Chicken Bone Beach. Even after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 made segregation illegal, Black families and friends and community groups packed the beach (Chicken Bone Beach Jazz 2019).
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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Rights
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This material is subject to copyright law and is made available for private study, scholarship, and research purposes only. For access to the original or a high resolution reproduction, and for permission to publish, please contact Temple University Libraries, the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection (blockson@temple.edu; 215-204-6632).
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Creator
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Mosley, John W.
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Format
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Image
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Publisher
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Temple University Libraries, Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection
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Contributor
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Temple University Libraries, Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection
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Extent
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1 image
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Identifier
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BPA001X0319520000003
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Date Created
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(c. 1950's)
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Is Part Of
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John W. Mosley Photograph Collection
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Subject
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African Americans
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African American boxers
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Atlantic City (N.J.)
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Bathing suits
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Beaches
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Black people
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Boxers (Sports)
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Celebrities
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Leisure
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Louis, Joe, 1914-1981
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Joy
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Mosley, John W., 1907-1969
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Photography
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Segregation
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Bibliographic Citation
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Ledger-Enquirer (Columbus, Georgia). “Martha Louis.” August 4, 1991.
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The Call. “All Around with Alma.” December 31, 1943.
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Chicken Bone Beach Jazz. Digital. State of the Arts, 2019.
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Willis-Thomas, Deborah. Black Photographers, 1840-1940 : An Illustrated Bio-Bibliography. Garland Publishing, Inc., 1989.
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“A SALUTE TO THE CHAMP JOE LOUIS: May 13, 1914 April 12, 1981,” June 1981.
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Louis, Joe, Edna Rust, and Art Rust. 1978. Joe Louis : My Life. First edition.
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Reasons, George, and Sam Patrick. 1970. “They Had A Dream: Joe Louis--Superb Fighting Machine.” The Evening Star, December 26, 1970, sec. Weekender.
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“Year: 1920; Census Place: Justice Precinct 5, Anderson, Texas; Roll: T625_1772; Page: 9B; Enumeration District: 21.” 1920. Ancestry.com.
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A.S. Doc Young. 1991. “Widow of Joe 'Brown Bomber’ Louis Dies in Detroit: Briefing National News News from around the Nation Martha Louis, Joe Louis’ Widow, Dies of Heart Failure at Age 78.” Los Angeles Sentinel, August 8, 1991.
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Ebony Magazine Archive. 1968. “A Good Place to Get Well’ DETROIT’S KIRWOOD HOSPITAL BUILDS RECORD FOR COMPETENCE, SERVICE,” 1968.
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“VISITS IN EAST,” August 30, 1946.
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Chicken Bone Beach Historical Foundation. “History of Chicken Bone Beach in New Jersey.” Accessed April 5, 2025.
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Chicken Bone Beach Jazz. Digital. State of the Arts, 2019.
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Mason, John Edwin. “A Chronicler of Philadelphia’s 20th-Century Black Life.” Hyperallergic, December 27, 2016.
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Philadelphia Tribune. “A View of History through the Eyes of John Mosley.” November 10, 1992.
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Caust-Ellenbogen, Celia. “The Home of African American Presbyterianism.” Archival Adventures in Small Repositories (blog), March 31, 2014.
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Queen, Bob. “John Mosley’s News Photos Span Generations: Veteran Lensman Marks 30 Years on the News Scene.” Afro-American, January 4, 1969.
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Wellington, Elizabeth. “A Million Faces: This John W. Mosley Exhibit Will Leave Philadelphians Reminiscing.” TCA Regional News, November 16, 2016.
