THE SHELBY HOUSE, 924 PLUM STREET. James Shelby (1874-1930) and his wife, Mary, stand at the front of the house they purchased in 1912 for a hard-earned $1,800. He worked as a hotel porter, waiter, and eventually headwaiter. She was a dressmaker and a Sunday school teacher at Quinn Chapel. In the early 1920s, James was proprietor of a downtown restaurant. Later in the decade he owned Union Hat Company, offering shoe shining and hat blocking.

Photographs taken on black and white...
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THE SHELBY HOUSE, 924 PLUM STREET. James Shelby (1874-1930) and his wife, Mary, stand at the front of the house they purchased in 1912 for a hard-earned $1,800. He worked as a hotel porter, waiter, and eventually headwaiter. She was a dressmaker and a Sunday school teacher at Quinn Chapel. In the early 1920s, James was proprietor of a downtown restaurant. Later in the decade he owned Union Hat Company, offering shoe shining and hat blocking.

Photographs taken on black and white glass negatives by African American photographer(s) John Johnson and Earl McWilliams from 1910 to 1925 in Lincoln, Nebraska. Douglas Keister has 280 5x7 glass negatives taken by these photographers. Larger scans available on request.
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