Postcard of a North Carolina Convict Camp (ca. 1910)

A sepia photograph of several dozen men (mostly Black men) in striped prison jumpsuits sitting around some trees, with a tent and a cabin behind them. Several of the men have dogs sitting with them. One man holds a guitar. Standing behind the prisoners are five White men in suits. White text in a lighter colored rectangle at the bottom reads "A North Carolina Convict Camp."

The back of the photograph is a postcard with an area labeled "Correspondence" on the left and an area labeled "Name and Address Here" and "Place Stamp Here" on the right. A handwritten inscription on the back reads: "Lauringburg, NC" at the top, with "70 CONVICTS, 6 DOGS, 5 GUARDS, 4 - WHITE CONVICTS" written in the space for name and address.

Source: A postcard with a photograph of a North Carolina Convict Camp, ca. 1910, by an unknown photographer (Collection of the National Museum of African American History and Culture)

AP African American Studies Guide

Postcard of a “North Carolina Convict Camp” by an unidentified photographer (ca. 1910)

Stay up to date, and subscribe to our quarterly newsletter.