HISTORICALLY IMPORTANT BALTIMORE, MARYLAND AFRO-NEWS DOORS, retaining an old painted surface consisting of multiple weathered layers, the glass panels reading, in part, "The / AFRO / 8:30 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. / DAILY / NAACP / 2nd Floor". Currently displayed in a custom wooden frame. Reserve. Circa 1890. 92" H, 48" W (object).
Catalogue Note: The present pair of Baltimore, Maryland rowhouse doors are iconic objects deeply connected with African-American History. A part of the original Baltimore offices of the Afro-News, a groundbreaking publication intricately connected with the Civil Rights Movement, the present doors bore unique witness to significant people and landmark moments over the course of a century - their worn paint and faded lettering a kind of visual testimony of the times. It is remarkable to note that the likes of W.E.B. Du Bois, Langston Hughes, Romare Beardan, Lillian Johnson, and Thurgood Marshall walked through these doors and equally remarkable that they remain unrestored and basically untouched.
Founded in 1892 by John Henry Murphy, Sr., a former slave who served under Grant and Sherman during the Civil War after Emancipation, the Afro-News, also known as The Baltimore Afro-American, is the nation's oldest continually running African American-owned newspaper. Instrumental in the struggle for Civil Rights in the Jim Crow era, through Segregation, and beyond, the Afro-News has continually been at the forefront of African-American activism in Baltimore and around the nation. Indicative of that leading role, it is believed the Baltimore branch of the NAACP and the Afro-News combined efforts for a period sometime during the first quarter of the 20th century, sharing office space after the former began to suffer financial difficulties. The lettering displayed on the glass panels in the present doors dates from this period.
Often serving as a hub for African-American intellectuals, writers, and politically-connected individuals throughout the 20th century, the Afro-News was a cultural entrepot, and its organization retains an extensive archive, currently being digitized and preserved under the guidance of the non-profit AFRO Charities. This archive is an incredible historical resource, containing millions of important photographs and documents relating to noteworthy events and influential figures.
For more information on the Afro-News and plans for the preservation of its important archive, please visit https://afro.com/
Shipping Note: IN-HOUSE SHIPPING IS NOT AVAILABLE FOR THIS LOT. Please contact our local UPS store store6595@theupsstore.com for information on shipping or see our website for a list of third-party shippers https://www.jeffreysevans.com/buying/pick-up-and-delivery.

Very good overall condition with expected wear, losses, and minor repairs. Mail slot and other hardware probably old replacements. Glass panel in right door, now cracked, probably an old replacement (done around the time the panels were lettered). Areas of minor loss to upper right corner of right door.