Daniels-Eisenstaedt Photo Tour: Mississippi River Ferry
Eisenstaedt took more than 60 pictures during a ride on the A.C. Jaynes, operated by the Greenville Ferry Company. In addition to many shots of the ferry, its paddlewheel, its captain, and cars loading or unloading, these pictures provide fascinating glimpses of a distinctively southern social scene.
Both blacks and whites drink cups of water and play slot machines on the ferry deck, sometimes standing in close physical proximity to one another. Yet many of Eisenstaedt's pictures are notable for featuring only black passengers, and the segregated "White Waiting Room" is clearly marked to the right of the slots.
Perhaps bored of the slot machines, some of the white passengers entertain themselves by dancing. A preadolescent white girl in a kerchief also dances, to the amusement of Jonathan Daniels.
Daniels appears in several shots. In one, he is standing close to a woman and a man with a moustache who resembles Greenville newspaperman Hodding Carter. The woman is wearing a distinctive dress and can be found in several photographs, including two where she is holding a small dog.
There is a car with a Mississippi State logo painted on its door. A small pleasure boat shows up at a distance, then pulls alongside.
A.C. Jaynes-1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Paddlewheel-1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Cars-1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Slot machines-1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
Black passengers-1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Small boat-1, 2, 3, 4
Move on to Greenville