Father Divine Celebrates: Father Divine, leader of a religious cult, rings a bell to signal the start of the "the eighth anniversary of the marriage Feast of the Lamb" in Philadelphia, marking the wedding anniversary of Father Divine and his wife, at left. The celebration will continue for two days, with dinners at several of the Reverend Divine's churches and missions throughout Philadelphia. The sect leader's wife, termed his "spotless virgin bride," stands at the head table here.

Father Divine (c. 1876 – 1965), also known as Reverend M. J. Divine, was an black spiritual leader from about 1907 until his death. His full self-given name was Reverend Major Jealous Divine, and he was also known as "the Messenger" early in his life. He founded the International Peace Mission movement, formulated its doctrine, and oversaw its growth from a small and predominantly black congregation into a multiracial and international church. Father Divine claimed to be God. He made numerous contributions toward his followers' economic independence and racial equality. He was a contemporary of other religious leaders such as Daddy Grace, Charles Harrison Mason, Noble Drew Ali and James F. Jones (also known as Prophet Jones).

On recto: typewritten title and date.
On verso: typewritten title and date stamp.

Wire photographs were originally transmitted over phonelines, then later, by satellite. They were first used in the early 1920s. Associated Press became a leader with this. After pigment touch-ups, etc., the print is put into a drum (like a drum scanner). The image gets converted into audio tones that are transmitted. The tones are received and beamed onto photo-sensitive paper. Wire photographs are copies without originals---they are hybrid, transmitted objects. (Britt Salvesen, Curator and Department Head, Photography Department, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, March 30-31, 2022)

This object has the following keywords:

• Celebrations
• Civil Rights Movements
• Edna Ritchings Divine
• Father Divine
• Injustice
• Interracial marriage
• Philadelphia
• Racial Discrimination
• Wedding anniversaries

• Image Dimensions: 6 5/8 x 9 3/8 in. (16.83 x 23.81 cm) Measured by Hudson, Karen
• Sheet Dimensions: 8 1/8 x 9 15/16 in. (20.64 x 25.24 cm) Measured by Hudson, Karen