Atlanta University Photographs

Collection

Identifier: 0000-0000-0000-0001

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection contains approximately 6,000 photographs dating from 1833 to 1995, with the bulk of the material spanning 1905 to 1985. It is part of the Atlanta University Archives, encompassing series 20 through 26.

The material is arranged in seven series: Portraits, Events, Buildings and Grounds, Schools and Special Activities, Groups, Photo Album, and Oversized Photographs. The photographs primarily depict students, alumni, faculty, administrative officers, campus events, and buildings of Atlanta University. However, the collection also includes photographs of people and places from other Atlanta University Center schools. The majority of the photographs are identified and dated.

Additionally, the collection features images of individuals not affiliated with the University, including such prominent figures as Josephine Baker, Ralph Bunche, George Washington Carver, Frederick Douglass, A. Philip Randolph, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Booker T. Washington.

The Atlanta University Photographs document not only University life but also the institution’s interaction with the larger community. This is reflected through visits from notable figures such as Atlanta mayors Ivan Allen Jr. and Maynard Jackson, Martin Luther King Sr., and Walter White, as well as through coverage of historic events such as the memorial services for John Hope and Whitney Young.

Dates

Creation: 1858 - 1995

Biographical / Historical

Seventy-two days following the end of the Civil War, the American Missionary Association (A.M.A.) began formal educational work for African Americans in Atlanta. Edmund Asa Ware, the Educational Director of the A.M.A. in Georgia, promoted the idea of establishing a university to provide educational opportunities for the recently freed slaves and refugees of the war. Atlanta University opened on October 13, 1869.

The University offered training for students of all ages, including kindergarten, grade school, normal industrial, academy, and college. In 1894, all pre–high school level work ceased, and during the first two decades of the twentieth century, the University phased out its high school courses.

In 1929, Atlanta University affiliated with Morehouse and Spelman in a cooperative plan known as the Atlanta University System. Among the features of this system was a division of labor between the schools to eliminate unnecessary duplication of educational efforts. Under this plan, the University discontinued all undergraduate work and devoted its resources to graduate and professional education, while Morehouse and Spelman continued to operate at the college level.

The Atlanta University Schools of Social Work, Library and Information Studies, Arts and Sciences, Education, Business Administration, and Library Services were all established between 1920 and 1946. On July 1, 1988, Atlanta University and Clark College consolidated to form Clark Atlanta University.

Extent

28 Linear feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into 7 series: Portraits, Events, Buildings and Grounds, Schools and Special Activities, Groups and Organizations, Photo Album, and Oversized Photographs.

Processing Information

The processing of this collection was made possible through a grant from the Andrew Mellon Foundation. The staff wishes to acknowledge this generous support and takes great pleasure in presenting the Atlanta University Photographs to the world community of scholars for examination.