James Conway Farley collection of cabinet card photographs, 1870/1905

Access and use

Location of collection:
University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept.
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
University of Virginia
P.O. Box 400110
170 McCormick Rd
Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4110
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Special Collections Public Services & Reference Staff
Phone: (434) 243-1776
Fax: (434) 924-4968
Restrictions:

This collection is open for research.

Preferred citation:

MSS 16968, James Conway Farley collection of cabinet card photographs, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia Library.

Summary

Extent:
.06 Cubic Feet 2 letter folders
Creator:
Farley, James Conway, 1854-1912 and Auger Down Books
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

MSS 16968, James Conway Farley collection of cabinet card photographs, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia Library.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains seventeen albumen photograph cabinet cards on cardstock mount of portraits taken by African American photographer James Conway Farley during his time at Davis Studio in Richmond, Virginia, and later at Jefferson Fine Art Gallery at 528 East Broad Street, Richmond, Va. Eight of the cards are from the Jefferson Fine Art Gallery and eight are from Davis Studio.

The photographs are notable as a work of James C. Farley, one of the first successful Black photographers in the United States. Born to enslaved parents in Prince Edward County, Virginia in 1854, he moved to Richmond in 1861 and later began work in the chemical department at the C.R. Rees Photography Company. In 1875, Farley was hired by the G.W. Davis Photography Gallery at the objection of the other white employees whom Davis discharged.

After twenty years with G.W. Davis, Farley opened his own studio, The Jefferson Fine Art Gallery, in 1895. Farley gained national recognition for his photography and his studio was patronized by both white and black customers. He is last recorded as a photographer in Jersey City on a 1910 census. Farley's work was widely celebrated and showcased at various exhibitions including the World Industry and Cotton Centennial Exposition in New Orleans.

Acquisition information:
This collection was a purchase from Auger Down Books to the Small Special Collections Library at the University of Virginia Library on 6 May 2026.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard