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Photographed by Scott Wolff. Color corrected by Pat Cagney.
Helen Ann Smith at Harlem House, Beale St., Memphis, Tennessee
Photographed by Scott Wolff. Color corrected by Pat Cagney.
Photographed by Scott Wolff. Color corrected by Pat Cagney.

Helen Ann Smith at Harlem House, Beale St., Memphis, Tennessee

Artist Ernest C. Withers (American, 1922-2007)
Date1959, printed ca. 2000
MediumGelatin silver print
DimensionsOverall, Image: 9 1/2 × 9 9/16 in. (24.1 × 24.3 cm)
Overall: 14 × 11 in. (35.6 × 27.9 cm)
Overall, Mat: 20 1/16 × 16 1/16 in. (51 × 40.8 cm)
ClassificationsPhotography
Credit LineGifts of Ernest C. Withers and Panopticon Gallery
Object number2000.1.2
Terms
  • Woman
  • Working
  • Helen Ann Smith
  • Harlem House
  • African-American Artist
  • Black
  • White
  • Memphis, Tennessee
On View
Not on view
DescriptionYoung woman stands smiling behind the counter of Harlem House, Memphis, TN.

Label TextErnest C. Withers American, 1922−2007 Helen Ann Smith at Harlem House, Beale St., Memphis, Tennessee, 1959 Gelatin silver print (photograph), printed ca. 2000 Although blacks were not served in the popular Toddle House chain of restaurants (as shown in the photograph to the right), they were welcomed and treated with respect at any Harlem House lunch counter, an affiliate chain owned by the same parent company. By the early 1960s there were nine Harlem House diners in Memphis, including this one on Beale Street. The menu was simple, and the company prided itself on high-quality customer service. Operating parallel chains allowed the white-owned company to participate in racial segregation and still earn profits from blacks. Gift of Ernest C. Withers and Panopticon Gallery 2000.1.2
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