Portrait Photograph by an African-American Woman Photographer by JOHNSON, G - 1947

Detroit: Johnson's Quick Fix Photo Service, 1947. Softcover. Near Fine. Black and white gelatin silver photograph of an unidentified African-American man, the image masked into a heart shape with accompanying printed doggerel: "Just a reminder in case you forgot, Here's a snapshot of someone who loves you a lot!" Image size approximately 5" x 8". Housed in a folding mailer (unmailed) from Sportree's Music Bar in Detroit, which features a printed image of four elaborately costumed black women (or more likely female impersonators, who appeared at Sportree's), as well as a printed image of the female photographer "G. Johnson." Two staples on the margin of the image holding the photo in place (probably as issued), slight age-toning on the folder, else about fine. Sportree's Music Bar was open from 1946 until 1950, and was a short-lived hot bed of jazz and blues on Hastings Street in Detroit's black Paradise Valley neighborhood. The club featured national acts including T-Bone Walker and Big Joe Williams, and was visited by famous black celebrities. The club was an important center for jazz and R&B in the pre-Motown-era. An unusual artifact in that it displays the photographer, an African-American woman. We can find nothing about Johnson's Quick Fix Photo Service or G. Johnson. An interesting artifact.