1952 African American Men in Suits & Fedoras at Mountain Resort Photograph

USD 11.99

Condition: Used

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Description

View 1952 African American Men in Suits & Fedoras at Mountain Resort Photograph with current marketplace pricing, condition, product images and item details. A minor crease affects the upper left corner, and faint dust specks are scattered across the lower foreground, while the distant building signage and mountain ridgeline show a gentle softening from atmospheric haze. Three men in tailored suits, fedoras, and polished shoes sit along a low stone retaining wall in the foreground of this August 1952 silver gelatin print, their relaxed poses set against the imposing scale of a grand mountain lodge rising behind them. The building’s architecture—a rusticated stone base supporting a broad, light-painted upper facade with multiple gabled rooflines and rows of evenly spaced windows—identifies it as a purpose-built national park or resort hotel of the early-to-mid twentieth century, designed to harmonize rustic materials with formal hospitality. A late-1940s or early-1950s sedan is parked along the building’s left flank, its rounded silhouette and chrome trim anchoring the scene firmly in the postwar era. The men’s attire—double-breasted jackets, neckties, and brimmed hats—reflects the standard public dress of the period, suggesting they may be guests, staff, or entertainers at the establishment. Their placement in the foreground, casual yet composed, creates a quiet counterpoint to the monumental architecture and the rugged mountain peaks visible in the hazy distance beyond the roofline. The location strongly suggests a North American national park setting, likely Banff or a comparable alpine resort district, though the signage above the main entrance remains too indistinct to confirm. The print itself exhibits the soft tonal range characteristic of mid-century consumer photography, with a slight warm-toned yellowing consistent with aged developing paper. A minor crease affects the upper left corner, and faint dust specks are scattered across the lower foreground, while the distant building signage and mountain ridgeline show a gentle softening from atmospheric haze. The image offers a notable social document of its moment: three well-dressed African American men posed before a prominent resort hotel in 1952, a period when access to such establishments was often circumscribed by segregationist policies. Whether the men were vacationers, employees, or visiting performers, the photograph preserves a composed, dignified public presence within a landscape of leisure and scenic tourism, lending the image significance beyond its surface content as a record of postwar travel, fashion, and the complex social terrain of mid-century North American resort culture. Condition: Used. Category: Collectibles › Photographic Images › Photographs.