Research Catalog

Moorish Science Temple of America photograph collection

Title: Moorish Science Temple of America photograph collection / Moorish Science Temple of America.
Author: Moorish Science Temple of America, compiler.
Publication: [between 1925 and 1992?]

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Item details
Status	Format	Access	Call Number	Item Location
Request Appointment Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Schomburg Center to submit a request in person.	Still image	Use in library	Sc Photo Moorish Science Temple of America Collection	Schomburg Center - Photographs & Prints

Details

Additional Authors

Found In

c2tc Moorish Science Temple of America Moorish Science Temple of America collection, 1926-1967 (OCoLC)122579987

Description

30 items (.3 cubic ft., one box); 21 x 26 cm and smaller.
25 photographic prints : gelatin silver, black and white ;
3 photostats : black and white ;
1 photographic print : gelatin silver, black and white ;

Summary

Depictions of some of the spiritual leaders, followers, and activities of the Moorish Science Temple of America, from the 1920s to the 1960s, consisting of studio portraits and candid shots of temple leaders; group portraits of temple members attending services, official functions, and annual conventions; group portraits of children; views of funeral rites; a view of an office; snapshots of out-of-town visitors; reproductions of newspaper articles; and a view of a mausoleum.
Among the individuals depicted are group founder Noble Drew Ali; his selected successor C. Kirkman-Bey; J. Givens-El, also known as Prophet Noble Drew Ali Reincarnated; Brother Allah-El, said to head of the Moorish Science Temple in Philadelphia; Allah-El's son George Bey; and United States Congressman Oscar De Priest of Illinois.

Donor/Sponsor

Preservation of the Black Religious Heritage Project funded by the Lilly Foundation.

Subjects

Genre/Form

Portrait photographs – 1920-1999.
Group portraits – 1920-1999.
Gelatin silver prints – 1920-1999.
Stats.

Note

Title taken from Moorish Science Temple of America Collection.
Some photographs bear photography studio's hand stamp on verso; some items bear photographer's or photography studio's name on recto. Some items bear handwritten captions on verso; some items bear printed captions on recto.
One item consists of three separate prints taped together to form a panoramic group portrait.
Collection contains work by L. L. Foster, K. D. Ganaway, R. D. Jones, and Quality Photo Studio, among others.

Terms of Use (note)

Some items may be under copyright; permission of the copyright holder is required for duplication.

Biography (note)

The Moorish Science Temple of America, a religion based on the teachings from the Christian and Islamic faiths, was founded in 1913 by Nobel Drew Ali (1886-1929). The central tenet of the temple was that all Black people were of Moorish (African) origin, therefore Muslim, and that a "return" to Islam was the way to redemption. Initially started in Newark, New Jersey, the movement spread throughout the United States during the 1920s, to the Midwest, the Northeast, and parts of the American South. However, upon Ali's death in 1929, infighting within the movement split it into factions.

Linking Entry (note)

Forms part of the Moorish Science Temple of America Collection, 1926-1967.

Call Number

Sc Photo Moorish Science Temple of America Collection

OCLC

1285326339

Author

Moorish Science Temple of America, compiler.

Title

Moorish Science Temple of America photograph collection / Moorish Science Temple of America.

Production

[between 1925 and 1992?]

Type of Content

still image

Type of Medium

unmediated

Type of Carrier

sheet

Terms Of Use

Some items may be under copyright; permission of the copyright holder is required for duplication.

Biography

The Moorish Science Temple of America, a religion based on the teachings from the Christian and Islamic faiths, was founded in 1913 by Nobel Drew Ali (1886-1929). The central tenet of the temple was that all Black people were of Moorish (African) origin, therefore Muslim, and that a "return" to Islam was the way to redemption. Initially started in Newark, New Jersey, the movement spread throughout the United States during the 1920s, to the Midwest, the Northeast, and parts of the American South. However, upon Ali's death in 1929, infighting within the movement split it into factions.

Linking Entry

Forms part of the Moorish Science Temple of America Collection, 1926-1967.

Local Note

Sc MG 435

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Added Author

Ganaway, K. D., photographer.

Jones, R. D., photographer.

Patton, J. C., photographer.

L. L. Foster Photo (Chicago, Ill.), photographer.

Quality Photo Studio (Newark, N.J.), photographer.

Woodard & Jones Photos (Chicago, Ill.), photographer.

Found In:

c2tc Moorish Science Temple of America Moorish Science Temple of America collection, 1926-1967 (OCoLC)122579987

Research Call Number

Sc Photo Moorish Science Temple of America Collection

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