Late Nineteenth Century Mississippi
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Printed Invitation. "Grand Fancy Dress and Calico Ball, To Be Given By: Independent Hope H[ook]. and L[adder]. F[ire]. Co. No.1." Shieldsborough, Mississippi. 4 July 1886. With admission ticket.

This charming invitation is made out by hand to "Mrs. Valentine & all Lady Guest[s]" and includes an engraving of a late nineteenth-century fire engine. A printed admission ticket accompanies the invitation.

Program. "The First Annual Meeting of the Colored Bar Association of Mississippi Will Convene in the City of Greenville, March 5th and 6th, 1891." Memphis: Tracy Printing & Stationery Co.

Apparently, our copy is the only surviving example documenting this professional meeting of black lawyers. During the two-day meeting, a number of papers "not to occupy over twenty minutes," were offered on topics including "The Negro as a Law Maker," "Capital Punishment," and "Tax Titles." The program also scheduled a one-hour discussion to follow the main address on Mississippi's 1890 Constitution.

Program. "Report of the Organization of the Mississippi Woman Suffrage Association. Meridian, Mississippi. May 5th, 1897."

This program, the only recorded copy, lists the newly elected officers for the Mississippi Woman Suffrage Association celebrating "the first convention ever held in Mississippi in the interest of Woman Suffrage." Noteworthy are the listings for the President, Mrs. Robert Somerville, and one of the Vice-Presidents, Miss Belle Kearney. Both of these women would later serve in the Mississippi State Legislature.