Studio

1910 · ref. BK0065 — Philadelphia: Murdock Studios 1910. Real photo postcard portrait 3 ½ x 5 ½ inches. Studio stamp verso reading "Murdock Studio / 4047 Market St. / Philadelphia Pa. / Extra Copies of this Photo can be had at any time. Excellent contrast light wear Near Fine. A particularly attractive studio portrait of an unidentified African American man dressed in a three-piece suit and tie and seated next to a small table with flowers. The photographer Murdock Studio has proven difficult to trace though the address on the verso places the studio at 4047 Market Street near 40th Street in West Philadelphia. The location is interesting in relation to the development of the Black Bottom the predominantly African American neighborhood which extended roughly from 33rd to 40th Streets around the Market Street corridor. The neighborhood grew during the first half of the twentieth century before being largely destroyed during urban renewal in the 1960s. We have not been able to determine whether Murdock Studio was Black-owned or to identify the sitter. A strong example of African American studio portraiture from West Philadelphia during the period. Murdock Studios unknown