Directed by
Rev. Jones, S. S., American, 1869 - 1936
Date
1924-1928
Medium
acetate film
Dimensions
Duration: 10 Minutes
Length (Film): 275 Feet
Caption
Rev. Solomon Sir Jones was a Baptist minister, businessman, and amateur filmmaker. This collection of home movies by Jones documents African American communities in Oklahoma between 1924 and 1928, depicting residents at work and in their homes, as well as activities at local schools, businesses, and churches. Community social events such as parades and funerals are prominently featured.
Description
A home movie featuring footage taken in Oklahoma during the middle and late 1920s by Solomon Sir Jones. It is the eighth in a collection of nine films and consists of a single reel of silent 16mm black-and-white acetate film.
The film begins with men and women walking down the front stairs of a building. The same men and women are shown in a procession down the road wearing Masonic scarves and aprons. The camera shows the men and women standing in front of the building and also a wider angle view of the entire exterior of the building. There are also about half a dozen cars in front of the building. The next scene shows a motorcade with cars and motorcycles driving down a street. Some of the men on motorcycles appear to have on police officer uniforms. The next scene shows people at a racetrack watching jockeys and horses race. The next scene shows men and women walking out of the front door of a building and passing the camera. The men and women then stand in a semicircle and pose for the camera. The camera pans the crowd, and then they all wave to the camera. The next scene is on a farm. A woman feeds chickens, a man stands nearby with a horse, and another man plays with a pig. There is a brief scene of a woman in a carriage and on a horse. The next scene shows a family get into a car and drive away. There is a brief scene of two men racing, one is dressed in running clothes and the other in semi-formal clothes. In the next scene, a family comes out of a house, acknowledges the camera, and then goes back into the house. There is another scene of a farm that appears to be a different farm than the previous one. There are a lot of pigs in the yard, and a man lets horses out of a barn into the same yard. A car and a truck pass in front of the camera. A woman feeds chickens. There is some brief footage of a gas station and some people greeting one another on front porches at the end of the film.
Place filmed
Oklahoma, United States, North and Central America
Collection title
Rev. S.S. Jones Home Movies
Classification
Media Arts-Film and Video
Type
silent films
home movies
black-and-white films (visual works)
16mm (photographic film size)
Topic
Agriculture
American South
American West
Amusements
Associations and institutions
Baptist
Communities
Domestic life
Families
Freemasonry
Rural life
Social life and customs
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Naomi Long Madgett
Object number
2011.79.8.1a
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5d4a8c808-62b4-40f0-9d9f-36cc3cad7d83

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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