Mar 20 at 10:30 AM - Sale 2697 -

Sale 2697 - Lot 325

Estimate: $ 600 - $ 900
(PHOTOGRAPHY.) Photograph and signature file used to facilitate check-cashing at a Pittsburgh store. More than 300 photographs, each 3¼ x 2½ inches with name labels taped or laminated at top, and signatures and manuscript notes on verso; slightly curled, labels yellowed, minor to moderate wear. Arranged somewhat alphabetically and housed in a possibly original metal rack. Pittsburgh, PA, 1968-1970
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Additional Details

Each of these photographs shows a customer, often from the same general angle from a presumably hand-held Polaroid camera, with their signature and date on verso, and their address and phone number below. Almost all of the customers are African-American.

This file is said to come from Darling's Drug Store on the corner of Fifth and Stevenson, a popular spot for gamblers and numbers runners. The customer addresses are from all over Pittsburgh, but do not seem clustered around the Darling's neighborhood. We suspect a few of the younger customers in these photos are still around--they might remember the system, and the store.

This collection shows how one small business tried to serve their customers without getting stiffed. It includes clearly identified photographs of regular people who might not have any surviving photos elsewhere, showing a wide range of emotions, from jovial to hostile to (mostly) a bit bored. They are literally snapshots of the customers frequenting one neighborhood store over a two-year period.

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