Between the Covers

Unbound. Large portrait photograph of W.E.B. Du Bois. 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 mat has some age-toning, light creases and photographer’s pencil mark (“Gach Bros. N.Y.”) on the mat. Du Bois has Inscribed on the mat 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.

Towns (1870-1960) was an educator, author, and community activist. A member of the Harvard University Class of 1900, Towns was also affiliated with Atlanta University, first as a student, then as a professor, and finally as an active alumnus. One of his most notable contributions was 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 Boulé 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.

Item #89783