Rare Early 20th Century Views of Mexican American Communities

[Mexican American Baptist Churches, ca. 1915: 44 Glass Lantern Slides]

Notes: Nearly four dozen early 20th century images of Mexican American neighborhoods centered around Baptist churches and missions. Photographs documenting any aspect of Mexican American life from a century ago are decidedly uncommon.

These slides, numbered 1 to 54, lacking ten images scattered throughout the sequence, document Mexican American Baptist churches in the Southwest. The images show churches, pastors, congregations, and a traveling tent church. Among the locations depicted are churches in California (Los Angeles, San Pedro, Corona, San Diego, Oxnard, Santa Barbara, Dinuba, and Fresno), Arizona (Yuma, Phoenix, and Tucson), Colorado (Rocky Ford and Denver), and Kansas City.

The slides are handcolored diapositive images measuring 4 by 3-1/4 inches. All of the images are captioned with typed identifying labels numbering the slides in sequence, identifying the scene, and noting they all belong to lecture H134.

** Complete List of Slides **
1. International Bridge at El Paso [cracked];
2. Typical Mexican Home;
3. Mexicans Listening to Preaching;
5. Mexican Pastor and Family;
7. Congregation and Old Building;
8. Mexican Sunday School Picnic;
9. Mexican Christian Center;
10. Faculty and Students;
11. House Used for Dormitory;
13. Mexican Christian Young Man;
14. Mexican Mission Los Angeles;
15. San Pedro Mexican Church;
16. Shack at Maravilla Park [probably East Los Angeles];
17. Mexican Children at Side ov (sic) Shack;
18. Dedication of Building;
20. Old Bldg. at Corona, Calif.;
21. New Building at Corona;
22. Rev. P. H. Pierson and Auto;
23. Rev. P. H. Pierson Preaching;
24. D.V.B.S., Colton;
25. Mission at San Diego;
26. Mission Parsonage, Oxnard;
27. Mexican Chapel, Oxnard;
28. Mexican Mission Workers;
29. Interior of Santa Barbara Church;
30. Mexican Church, Dinuba;
31. Fresno Mexican Mission;
32. Mexican Pastor and Family;
33. Mexican Girl with Child;
35. New Building at Yuma;
36. Interior of Church at Yuma;
37. Rev. Ramon García and Family [cracked];
38. Mrs. Knowles on Lot at Yuma;
39. First Meeting Place, Phoenix;
42. Christian Center, Phoenix;
43. Workers Among the Mexicans, Ariz.;
45. Ruins of Parsonage, Tucson;
46. Congregation at Rocky Ford [Colorado];
47. Baptism;
49. Denver Mexican Mission;
51. Mexican Church, Kansas City;
52. Children at Railroad Camp [cracked];
53. Workers Around Railroad Chapel Car;
54. Auto Chapel Car and Tent

Edition + Condition: A few (3, noted in the description) of the slides are cracked, but the images are generally very good or better.

Publication: New York: Board of Missionary Cooperation of the Northern Baptist Convention, (n.d. but 1915–1920).

Item No: #306675

Price: $4,500