DU BOIS, W.E.B. (DuBois)

Inscribed Portrait Photograph of W.E.B. Du Bois

Large portrait photograph of W.E.B. Du Bois, Inscribed on the matte below the portrait. Image is matted to approximately 10" x 13". The image shows a touch of oxidation at the edges but is otherwise both striking and fine. The matte has some age-toning, and light creases. Photographer's pencil mark "Gach Bros. N.Y." on the matte. Du Bois has Inscribed on the matte below the image: "For George A. Towns & Family. 1897 - 1944. W.E.B. Du Bois." Framed in a modern, but period style frame, with a sleeve on the verso that holds the original photographer's cardboard mount.

George Alexander Towns (1870-1960) was an educator, author, and community activist. A member of the Harvard University Class of 1900, Towns was later affiliated with Atlanta University, first as a student, then professor and finally as an active alumnus. One of his most notable contributions is as founder and editor of the Crimson and Gray, the Atlanta University Alumni Association monthly newsletter. He was a member of the class of 1894 which also included his close friend James Weldon Johnson, with whom he corresponded until Johnson's death. He was active in the community as a member of the Atlanta branch of the NAACP, the Citizen's League, the Boule of Atlanta (Sigma Pi Phi), and the Community Chest. Most of his archive now resides at the Robert W. Woodruff Library at Atlanta University, including extensive correspondence with Du Bois.

[BTC #89783]