Figure B-4: Advertisement, Atlanta Daily World Courtesy of Auburn Avenue Research Library
Inside of Buttermilk Bottom, the arts were common and were utilized to depict the social, political, spiritual, and temporal experiences and for practicality purposes. Atlanta has a history of being home to stand-out artists in literature, music, photography, crafts, and visual arts. There were artists who contributed to the rich tapestry of Buttermilk Bottom, showcasing the area’s artistic diversity and creative spirit. The Atlanta City Directory identifies skilled craft-people, seamstresses, dress makers, chefs, barbers, building trades (tile, building), architects, and restaurateurs. The Forrest Arms Hotel on Forrest Avenue was one of the three main hotels, along with the Savoy Hotel and the Royal Hotel, that served Black clientele during Jim Crow segregation. 29 Black artists playing on the Chitlin Circuit, such as “W.C. Handy, Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, the Nicholas Brothers, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Jackie Wilson, Dinah Washington,” and others would have stayed at one of these hotels. 30 Ellie Lee Weems was a prominent photographer and studied under C. M. Battey at Tuskegee Institute. 31 Weems resided at 137 Baker Street and partnered with Paul Poole in the Paul Poole Studio on Auburn Avenue in 1928. 32 The Grand United Order of Oddfellows named Thomas Askew, "Atlanta's oldest and most efficient photographer". Askew died in 1914, and the Great Fire of 1917 destroyed his studio burning all evidence of his work. 33 And the photographer Charles Lowe
29 Herman “Skip” Mason, Jr., “Images of America: African - American Entertainment in Atlanta.”, Arcadia Publishing, 1998.
30 Mason, Jr., “African - American Entertainment in Atlanta.” 31 Mason, Jr., “African - American Entertainment in Atlanta.” 32 Mason, Jr., “African - American Entertainment in Atlanta.” 33 Mason, Jr., “African - American Entertainment in Atlanta.”
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