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Inventory of the Roland L. Freeman Photographs, 1969-1985

Abstract

American photographer devoted to recording the lives of rural and urban African Americans.

Collection consists of Freeman's Portfolio, a 1997 limited edition portfolio of twelve 16x20 gelatin silver prints depicting everyday life in the South, dating 1969-1985. This Portfolio is Number 33 of 45. Prints include Freeman's signature on the bottom right corner. Accompanying pamphlet includes essays about the photographer and a title list for the photographs. Acquired as part of the Archive of Documentary Arts (Duke University).

Descriptive Summary

Repository
David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University
Creator
Freeman, Roland L., 1936-
Title
Roland L. Freeman Photographs, 1969-1985
Language of Material
English
Extent
2.0 Linear Feet, 12 Items
Location
For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.

Series Quick Links

Collection Overview

Collection consists of Freeman's Portfolio, a 1997 limited edition portfolio of twelve 16x20 gelatin silver prints depicting everyday life in the South, dating 1969-1985. Areas represented include Maryland, Mississippi, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Washington, D.C. This Portfolio is Number 33 of 45. Prints include Freeman's signature on the bottom right corner. Accompanying pamphlet includes essays about the photographer and a title list for the photographs. Acquired as part of the Archive of Documentary Arts (Duke University).

Administrative Information

A majority of collections are stored off site and must be requested at least 24 business hours in advance for retrieval. Contact Rubenstein Library staff before visiting. Read More »

warning Access Restrictions

Collection is restricted to educational, non-commercial use. Creator retains all copyright.

In addition, patrons must sign the Acknowledgment of Legal Responsibility and Privacy Rights form before using this collection.

Also, all or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. Consequently, there may be a 24-hour delay in obtaining these materials.

Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to use this collection.

warning Use Restrictions

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

Contents of the Collection

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Photographs date from 1969-1985. Title list included below.

Peter, East Baltimore, June 1969
Box 1
Community elders, Mississippi, July 1975
Box 1
Cigar box fiddler Scott Dunbar, Mississippi, July 1975
Box 1
Gandy dancers (railroad workers), Mississippi, August 1976
Box 1
Sunday baseball game, near Buffalo, Mississippi, September 1976
Box 1
Shopping on Gay Street, East Baltimore, Maryland, 1973
Box 1
Left to right: Ruby Quick, Wilford Streeter, and Claudie Mae Bright. In the sand hills, near Bennettsville, South Carolina, 1979
Box 1
Hallway of Polk home, Americus, Georgia, April 1971
Box 1
Getting acquainted, Sunday afternoon in Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, Maryland, August 1973
Box 1
Howard University student, Washington, D.C., June 1979
Box 1
Before Sunday evening service, St. Helena Island, South Carolina, June 1980
Box 1
Mrs. Viola Allen, Africatown, Alabama, November 1985
Box 1

Historical Note

Roland L. Freeman, a native of Baltimore, Maryland, is the founder and president of The Group for Cultural Documentation, Inc. He began his photography career in the 1960s during the Civil Rights Movement. Freeman's interest in documenting people, particularly African Americans, has centered on folklore and everyday life. He has worked with the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage since 1972, and has taught and lectured at universities throughout the country. In addition, his photography has been published in Life, Newsweek, Forbes, National Geographic, Essence, as well as numerous international publications. His photographs have also been exhibited throughout the world.

Freeman's books include Something To Keep You Warm: The Roland Freeman Collection of Black American Quilts from the Mississippi Heartland (1979), Southern Roads/City Pavements: Photographs of Black Americans (1981), Stand By Me: African American Expressive Culture in Philadelphia (1989), The Arabbers of Baltimore (1989), Margaret Walker's 'For My People': A Tribute (1992), A Communion of the Spirits: African-American Quilters, Preservers, and Their Stories (1996), and The Mule Train: A Journey of Hope Remembered (1998). In 2007, he was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship, along with the NEA's Bess Lomax Hawes Award.

More information on Roland Freeman can be found on The Group for Cultural Documentation's website, http://www.tgcd.org/.

Subject Headings

Related Material

Related Material

The Roland L. Freeman Papers are held by the Auborn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History, a division of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Roland L. Freeman Photographs, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University

Provenance

The Roland L. Freeman Photographs were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library as a gift in 2009.

Processing Information

Processed by Meghan Lyon, September 2010

Encoded by Meghan Lyon, October 2010

This collection is minimally processed: materials may not have been ordered and described beyond their original condition.

Descriptive sources and standards used to create this inventory: DACS, EAD, NCEAD guidelines, and local Style Guide.

This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.