129

First Texas Black Owned Bank Provident Bank & Trust Co. Fort Worth, Texas Real Photo Postcard, ca 1910

Real photo postcard of the Provident Bank & Trust Company of Fort Worth, Texas, n.d., ca 1910. Stamped caption in red. Shows three African American tellers, two men and one woman, assisting two patrons, one black and one white. A sixth man, also African American, sits at a desk to the left wearing a suit and bowtie. 

The verso is inscribed, "This is a bird eye view of some of the businesses owned and operated by the Colored man in the South Loredo." Stamped and addressed to a Mrs. P.F. Fisher of Anadarko, Oklahoma. 

The Provident Bank and Trust was founded in 1907 by R.C. Houston, Jr., a well-known African American businessman in the Ft. Worth area. At the time of its founding, it was the first African American bank in Texas and the fourth African American bank in the entire south. The bank failed in January 1912, and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram speculates in a May 11, 1912 article that its failure may have been due to sabotage from a rival bank. It was a bank primarily for African Americans, but the articles notes that at least one white man was known to do business there, further evidenced in this image. 

Condition:

Light creasing, some bumping to corners, toning to verso. 

Estimate: $1,500 - $2,000
Price Realized Including Buyer's Premium
$1,750
02/20/2020

Internet Bidding
 

Have a Similar Item?

Consign With Us
 

Purchased items will be available for pickup in Chicago on February 20, 2020 ONLY.
All other in-person pickups must be made in Cincinnati. 

Let Cowan's Handle Your Shipping!

Cowan's Auctions is one of the only houses to offer full service, in-house shipping.  

Our experts pack and ship over 5,000 purchases each year.  
Shipping costs are included on every invoice to make getting your items as fast and easy as possible. 

For more information, click HERE or contact shipping@cowans.com.