Photographic slide of the Poor People's Campaign

Photograph by

Robert Houston, American, born 1935

Subject of

Poor People's Campaign, American, 1967 - 1968

Unidentified Child or Children

Unidentified Woman or Women

Created by

Rogers Color Laboratory Corp., American, 1964 - 1996

Medium

reversal film and cardboard

Dimensions

H x W: 1 15/16 × 1 15/16 in. (4.9 × 4.9 cm)

Type

color slides

Place depicted

National Mall, Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America

Date

May 13, 1968 - June 23, 1968

Caption

This slide is part of a collection of 35mm slides encapsulating Robert Houston's full portfolio of images related to the Poor People's Campaign and the antipoverty protest camp on the National Mall. Known as "Resurrection City," the camp lasted for six weeks in the spring of 1968.

Description

This color slide depicts three women and five children in front of the entrance to an A frame shelter in Resurrection City. One woman, wearing a long brown coat, carries a closed umbrella under her right arm and a dark purse in her left hand. She stands in profile to the viewer. Standing facing her are two women; one wearing a shorter brown coat over a green dress. She holds a large dark purse in both hands in front of her. She stands in profile to the viewer. Standing on her right side is another woman with a white comb in her hair. Next to her is a little boy in a grey coat, peering down into a tall white container on the ground in front of him. A little girl in a white, red and plaid dress looks over his shoulder. Standing in the entrance to the shelter itself is an older girl in light colored dress and grey cardigan. She gazes out of the shelter straight ahead of her. There is another girl, wearing blue, and a boy, in a dark suit, standing just outside the shelter entrance. The slide mount has text on the reverse that reads "processed by/ rogers color lab corp. / new york."

Topic

African American

Activism

Civil rights

Housing

Local and regional

Photography

Politics (Practical)

Poverty

United States--History--1961-1969

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Object number

2015.245.85

Restrictions & Rights

© Robert Houston

See more items in

National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

Classification

Media Arts-Photography

Data Source

National Museum of African American History and Culture