E. F. Joseph
E. F. Joseph | |
|---|---|
| Born | Emmanuel Francis Joseph November 8, 1900 |
| Died | September 27, 1979 (aged 78) Oakland, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Sunset View Cemetery, El Cerrito, California, U.S. |
| Education | American School of Photography |
| Occupations | Photographer, photojournalist |
| Years active | 1920s–1970s |
| Spouse(s) | Alyce E. Gibbons (m. 1930–1963; her death)[1] Lucy Lartique (m. 1968–1979; his death)[2] |
Emmanuel Francis Joseph, commonly known as E. F. Joseph (November 8, 1900 – September 27, 1979)[3] was a Saint Lucian-born American photographer and photojournalist.[4] He worked for the Pittsburgh Courier, The Chicago Defender, and the San Francisco Chronicle. Joseph was the first African American commercial photographer in the San Francisco Bay Area.[4]
Life and career
Emmanuel Francis Joseph was born on November 8, 1900, in Choiseul, Saint Lucia, British West Indies.[3][4][5] He graduated in 1924, from the American School of Photography in Chicago, Illinois.[4]
After graduation, Joseph moved to Oakland, California where he apprenticed at a photography studio.[4] In 1930 he was married to his first wife Alyce E. Gibbons from Marysville, California, and he naturalized to the United States.[5]
In the 1930s, he started to work as a photojournalist.[4] He worked as a photojournalist for various newspapers over the span of his career including the Pittsburgh Courier, The Chicago Defender, California Voice, San Francisco Chronicle, and the Oakland Post.[4][6] He had a photography studio was run out of his home initially at 1303 Adeline Street, Oakland, and later at 384-50th Street in Oakland.[7] His first wife Alyce assisted his work.[4]
During World War II, Joseph worked for the United States Office of War Information as a photographer.[4] Some of his most notable photographs were made during this era, including his “Rosie the Riveters” series taken at the Richmond Shipyard.[6]
He retired from photography in the early 1970s.[4]
Death and legacy
Joseph died at age 79 on September 27, 1979 in Oakland.[4] He was interred at Sunset View Cemetery in El Cerrito, California.
He was the subject the book,The Picture Man: From the Collection of Bay Area Photographer E. F. Joseph, 1927–1979 (2018) by Careth Reid and Ruth Beckford.[8]
His photography was highlighted in the solo exhibition, Likeness: Portraits by E. F. Joseph (2022), presented by the Society of California Pioneers, Exhibit Envoy and the San Joaquin County Historical Museum.[9]
See also
- Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond, California
References
- ^ "Obituary for Alyce E. Joseph". Oakland Tribune. August 12, 1963. p. 31. Retrieved October 16, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Lartigue–Joseph Marriage Told". New Pittsburgh Courier. March 9, 1968. p. 10. Retrieved October 16, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Joseph, E. F. (Emmanuel Francis), 1900 or 1901-1979". Emory University Library. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Slaughter, Michael (February 10, 2015). "Emmanuel Francis Joseph (1900–1979)". BlackPast.org.
- ^ a b "Alyce Gibbons Joseph Mentioned in the Record of Emmanuel Francis Joseph (Alyce Gibbons Joseph's Spouse) Legal • California County Naturalizations, 1831-1985". familysearch.org. 1930.
- ^ a b "Emmanuel F. Joseph (1900–1979)". California State Capitol Museum. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
- ^ "Guide to the E. F. Joseph Photograph Collection". Online Archive of California (OAC). Archived from the original on November 3, 2024. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
- ^ Drummond, Tammerlin (February 2, 2017). "Photo book discovers Bay Area's 'hidden figure' in black photographer, chronicler of community life". East Bay Times. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
- ^ "Past Exhibitions". The Society of California Pioneers. October 3, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2025.