In this new 'Record Revealed' post from The National Archives, I highlight this photograph of the Fisk Jubilee Singers registered for copyright protection with the Stationers' Company in 1874. This photograph is a portrait of the 11 members of the Jubilee Singers, an African American a cappella group from Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. The choir members were students at the university and all but two of them were formerly enslaved. At the time the photograph was taken, in Spring 1874, the Jubilee Singers were visiting Britain as part of a European tour to raise funds for the university.
This photograph was engraved and published in other source inluding the Illustrated London News, but the copyright record provides a bit more detail about the people involved in its creation. The post also highlights connections between the singers and philanthropic organisations and people in Britain, including an interesting link with Hackney Juvenile Mission.
Read more here: Photograph of the Jubilee Singers - The National Archives
Image: The National Archives of the UK (TNA): COPY 1/25/182
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