DETAILS: Original hand signed gelatin silver photograph by noted African American photographer Emmanuel Francis (E.F.) Joseph. Circa 1830. Bottom right corner of photograph is signed "Joseph Photo" in ink by the gifted photographer. Verso is triple stamped and includes his home studio stamp. Measures 8" x 10" inches. Rare.



BIOGRAPHY:  Emmanuel Francis (E.F.) Joseph (1899-1976) was the first professional African American photographer in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. Born on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia, Joseph later moved to the United States and attended the American School of Photography in Chicago. After graduation in 1924, Joseph moved to Oakland, California, where he operated a photography studio from home and began documenting life in the vibrant African American community in that existed in Central California.  Starting in the early 1930s, he also working as a photojournalist for numerous Bay Area newspapers, including the California Voice, The Oakland Post, San Francisco Examiner. Joseph and his wife, Alyce, who assisted him, were especially active in the East Bay’s African American community. Original works by the photographer are especially hard to find.

 

Oxxbridge Galleries

Oxxbridge Galleries was founded in 1987 and specializes in vintage paper items with a large selection of historical and 19th Century  tintypes, daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, cabinet cards, carte des visites and other types of early photography. We invite everyone to visit our ebay store to view our entire inventory (STORE CATEGORY: Historical Photos).