May 07, 2020 - Sale 2534

Sale 2534 - Lot 242

Price Realized: $ 325
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 400 - $ 600
(EDUCATION.) Longman, Rufus A. Letter trying to place out a girl with "colored blood" from a white orphanage. Letter Signed on letterhead of the Children's Home of Cincinnati to Wade Buydden of Dayton, OH. One page. 7 1/4 x 8 1/2 inches; folds, minimal wear. With related pamphlet and 4 application blanks from the orphanage and the original mailing envelope. Cincinnati, OH, 12 January 1905

Additional Details

The white Cincinnati orphanage official writes to Wade J. Buydden (1876-1949), a young African-American attorney in nearby Dayton, OH, who was apparently a friend: "We have a nice little baby girl who was two years old Jan. 10th. We have been holding her for some time because we have been in doubt as to whether she was white or colored. The doctors now generally agree that she has colored blood and on that account think it will be to the child's highest interest to be placed in a family of colored people. I have thought that you might be able to help me to find a proper home for this child." The official adds a little biblical reference which in the context of the letter only adds to the pathos of the situation: "When you come before the great white throne you will receive your reward."