LL-003

Linden Evening Party

Black-and-white photograph of three women, identified from left as Alma Allen, Charlotte Coffield, and Florence Coleman, standing on a lawn at a crowded evening event. They wear party dresses — plaid, dark with a corsage, and white — with heels and handbags. Behind them are a small canopied booth, an iron fence, and rows of seated guests. — Lyttonsville residents celebrated special events in style. Pictured are residents Alma Allen, Charlotte Coffield, and Florence Coleman at an evening gathering — a testament to the community’s joy and resilience.

Photo details

Title: Linden Evening Party
Display ID: LL-003
Date: ca. 1958
Collection: Charlotte Coffield

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About this photo

Lyttonsville residents celebrated special events in style. Pictured here are Alma Allen, Charlotte Coffield, and Florence Coleman, dressed up for an evening gathering in about 1958. Occasions like this one were woven into the social life of a close-knit community that made its own places of joy during the years of segregation, when Black residents were excluded from many public venues. Gatherings meant good clothes, good company, and an evening of belonging among neighbors and lifelong friends. The warmth captured here is a testament to the community’s joy and resilience. This photograph is preserved in the collection of Charlotte Coffield.