Cabinet Group Portrait by J Sunderland
Portrait and Landscape Photographer
67 Bull Street and The Arcade, Birmingham
165 x 108mm (6½ x 4¼in)
Late 19th century

Cabinet Portrait

Q Cabinet group portrait of ten unidentified black Victorians comprising five men and five women. I originally thought this picture was of The Jubilee Singers of Fisk University, Nashville, Tennessee but recently have discovered this to be incorrect. Could this be another touring group as many groups emerged after the Jubilee Singers appeared on the scene or could it be a group of missionaries?

A It’s possible this is the Original Canadian Jubilee Singers, a mixed vocal and instrumental group styled after the Fisk Jubilee Singers. They performed spirituals and ballads, no blues. This group had a five year tour of Great Britain and a three year tour of the United States.

Duncan

Queries 2007/8

Query Archive

This regular feature invites answers by email to members’ questions on an item of ephemera.