Skip to main content

Emmanuel Francis Joseph (1900-1979)

By

Emmanuel Francis (E.F.) Joseph was the first professional African American photographer in the San Francisco Bay area of California. Born on November 8, 1900 on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia, Joseph would later move to the United States and attend the American School of Photography in Chicago, Illinois. After graduation in 1924, Joseph moved to Oakland, California, where he apprenticed in a photography studio. 

In the early 1930's, Joseph began his career as a photojournalist. He worked for numerous Bay Area newspapers, including the California Voice, The Oakland Post, San Francisco Examiner, and the nationally distributed Pittsburgh Courier from Pennsylvania.  

Joseph also ran a photography studio initially out of his home in West Oakland. He took photos of babies, children, men, women, couples, and families. He also captured the contours of community life, snapping photos at events held by churches, schools, nightclubs, social clubs, and lodges. He recorded community events such as etiquette classes, athletic events at local schools, and debutante balls at local halls. 

During World War II Joseph served as a photographer for the United States Office of War Information. Over the course of the war, Joseph’s camera captured life in the Bay Area’s defense industries. including many “Rosie Riveters” images and the iconic photo of Lena Horne launching the battleship USS George Carver.  Joseph’s camera also caught some of the more dramatic moments of the era, with everyday World War II life in the Bay Area, such as USO dances and the founding of the United Nations in San Francisco.

Joseph also built a thriving commercial photography business. Enterprises of all kinds sought him out to cast their business and product in a favorable light, including car dealerships, restaurants, flower shops, funeral homes, doughnut shops, and department stores. Joseph retired in the early 1970 after working in newspaper and studio photography for four decades

Emmanuel Francis Joseph died in Oakland, California on September 27, 1979 at the age of 79.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pressure Points

By
Pressure points are vital points or weak points of the body where a blood vessel or a nerve is very close to the skin. Pressure on these points can cause pain, injury or even death if an atemi (blow) is applied. Only some martial arts as Hapkido, Aikido, Jujutsu, Karate, Kyusho Jutsu, and certain styles of Kung Fu include pressure points in their teachings. There are about 300 pressure points on the human body, but very few are used in martial arts. http:// www.martialartsdo.org/ articles/humanbody/ pressurepoints.php
Post a Comment
Read more

Yolande Cornelia "Nikki" Giovanni, Jr. (born June 7, 1943 - )

By
Nikki Giovanni was born in  Knoxville, Tennessee ,   to Yolande Cornelia, Sr. and Jones "Gus" Giovanni. She grew up in  Lincoln Heights , a suburb of  Cincinnati, Ohio , though she returned to Knoxville to live with her grandparents in 1958, and attended the city's  Austin High School . In 1960, she began her studies at her grandfather's alma mater,  Fisk University  in  Nashville, Tennessee . She had a difficult time adjusting to college life and was subsequently expelled. However, she realized that she needed an education, drove back to Nashville, spoke with the Dean of Women, and was readmitted. In 1967, she graduated with honors with a B.A. in History. She returned to Cincinnati and established the city's first Black Arts Festival. Giovanni also began writing the poems that are included in her first self-published volume,  Black Feeling, Black Talk  (1968). Afterward she went on to attend graduate school at the  University o...
Post a Comment
Read more

PHYLLIS LINDA HYMAN (July 6, 1949 – June 30, 1995)

By
Phyllis Hyman was born in  Philadelphia ,  Pennsylvania , and grew up in  St. Clair Village , the  South Hills  section of  Pittsburgh . Born to an Italian mother, (Louise), and African-American father, (Phillip),  Hyman was the eldest of seven children. Through her paternal great-grandparents Ishmael and Cassandra (Cross) Hyman, she was also the first cousin once removed of actor  Earle Hyman  (best known for his recurring role on  The Cosby Show  as Cliff's father, Russell Huxtable). After leaving Pittsburgh, her music training started at a music school. On graduation, she performed on a national tour with the group New Direction in 1971. After the group disbanded, she joined All the People and worked with another local group, The Hondo Beat. At this time, she appeared in the film  Lenny  (1974). She also did a two-year stint leading a band called "Phyllis Hyman and the P/H Factor". She was discovered in 1975 by...
Post a Comment
Read more