Elrich W. Murphy Photograph Collection

Collection

Identifier: MS415

Staff Only

Content Description

This collection documents the professional photography business of Elrich W. Murphy. Over 2,500 professional photographs taken by Murphy capture members of Alexandria’s African American community and local events. Images of Murphy’s family and friends were taken primarily by Murphy, but there are also family photographs taken by other people. Of interest is an oversized, hand-colored photographic print of the Tidal Basin and the Washington Monument. Included formats in this collection are film negatives, photographic prints, ephemera, and digital surrogates of receipt books and an accounting ledger.

Dates

Majority of material found within c.1940s-1960s

Creator

Murphy, Elrich William, 1909-1993 (Person)

Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research. Public access and use of some of the photographic materials in this collection are restricted due to privacy concerns. Restricted materials are noted as such. Contact Local History / Special Collections staff for more information.

Use Restrictions

The materials in this collection are protected by copyright and/or other intellectual property rights. Permission must be obtained from the rights-holder(s) for uses beyond those permitted under the “Fair Use” doctrine of the U.S. Copyright Act (17 U.S.C § 107). Contact Local History / Special Collections staff for more information.

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Biographical / Historical

Elrich William Murphy was a professional photographer who documented life in Alexandria’s African American community during the mid-20th century. Born in 1909, he attended St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Alexandria and Armstrong High School in Washington, DC. Murphy spent most of his life as an active member of the community and worked at William J. Gallery & Co., supplier of religious goods, in Washington, DC. His photography business began as a hobby with his box camera in the 1930s. Murphy married Marie Elizabeth Henry in 1944 and had a daughter, Rita Murphy Harris. They later divorced and Murphy did not remarry. Marie married Albert Spinner, Jr., in 1948. Towards the end of his life, Murphy lived with Rita and her family in East Brunswick, New Jersey, then died in 1993.

Extent

XX Cubic Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Notes on Arrangement

This collection is arranged in two series documenting Murphy’s photographs and his business. Series 1. Photography includes film negatives, photographic prints, and ephemera. Series 2. Business Records contains digital surrogates of receipt books and an accounting ledger.