Image of women and one man sitting and standing in three rows. Two women in the front row are holding a sign that reads: PRIDE OF RUTH CHAPTER 3336 EASTERN STAR W. MEMPHIS ARK. AUG 19. 46 SIS. L. WILLIAMS W.M. Two women in the back are holding poles with stars on the top, angled so that the stars are meeting near the top of the picture.

On verso: Mrs. Ro(?) Willingham 5 15 s 12. W. Memphis (?) Due 145. Date: 8/19/1946.

This is one of 156 black and white photographs by R. Lee Thomas, an African American photographer active in the early twentieth century in the southern United States. Thomas’ work provides photographic documentation of southern black social life, primarily religious and labor groups, circa 1946-1949. The majority of the photographs depict groups from Birmingham, Alabama, and adjacent areas. His imprint contains the caption: Made by R. Lee Thomas, Mound Bayou, Mississippi, The Oldest Negro Town in America.