Studio portrait of Joseph Blackburn Bass as a boy with his mother, Susan Bass. Joseph Blackburn Bass founded the Topeka Call, a black community newspaper. He continued to work on that newspaper when it was purchased by another owner and its name changed to the Topeka Plaindealer. Bass was active in local politics, and in 1896 was one of the Kansas delegates to the Republican National Convention that nominated William McKinley for President. After a short stint publishing a black community newspaper in Helena, Montana, Bass moved to Los Angeles, where in 1913, he accepted Charlotta Spears' offer to edit the California Eagle. Spears and Bass married in 1914. Downing's Gallery was owned by photographer George Downing (1840-1908). The back of the original photograph states that Downing's Gallery was located "in Union Hall Building, over Barnum & Co's Dry Goods Store, opp. Post-Office, Topeka, Kansas. Written on back of copy photo: credit Southern California library for Social Studies & Research, Inc.
Type
image
Identifier
uclalsc_1889_b06_f08_002a.tif ark:/21198/z10c6ct8
Subject
African American civil rights workers African American newspaper editors Bass, J. B. (Joseph Blackburn), 1867-1934 Thompson, Susan Bass, 1831-1920
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