Exposition

Blooded stock Atlanta Exposition 10651; Obedience Atlanta Exposition 10639. Two albumen stereoview photographs capturing livestock at the 1895 Cotton Exposition.

1896 · 61002 — Atlanta GA; Littleton NH & New York: B.W. Kilburn James M. Davis; Cotton States and International Exposition Co. 1896. Two original albumen stereoview photographs sized 6 x 3 in. mounted on pink-tinted studio board sized 7 x 3.5 in. photographer’s imprint & captions in blank alongside image and on verso former ownership markings in Spanish on one minor soiling to fore-edges of 2nd image some shelfwear still VG- exemplars from the library of Prof. Marvin Nathan. Two scarce original albumen stereoview photographs of livestock and horse tricks at the 1895 Cotton States & International Exposition which featured the resurgence of the “New South†including the first pavilion sponsored for and by African-Americans the Atlanta Negro Building which covered 25000 square feet and was filled with exhibits of Black workers artists authors and introduced by a Jubilee Singers performances. Unfortunately their accomplishments were largely overshadowed by Booker T. Washington’s notorious “Atlanta Compromise†speech which opened the Fair counseling African-Americans to seek economic security before political or social equality. Benjamin Kilburn 1827-1909. and his brother Edward b. 1830 initially operated their business together until Edward retired in the 1870’s and by 1872 they had a large photographic stereoview card factory one block from the Littleton trains station. Young salesmen carried the stereoviews on the trains and by the early 20th-Century the company was the most extensive producer of stereoview photographs purchasing images from such photographers as William H. Rau the Kiser Bros. and others. B.W. Kilburn, James M. Davis; Cotton States and International Exposition Co., unknown