Emaline and ‘nem is an Instagram-based archival photography project created and curated by Kimberly Annece Henderson.

*Because seeing is believing, and we’ve always been us.

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In 2020, Kimberly Annece Henderson created @EmalineAndThem as a research outlet in honor of the many ancestors she found while mapping her family history. Today, it’s a popular curated selection of digitized archival photography—sourced from collecting institution across America—with an audience of over 40k followers.

Named after her own great great great great grandmother, Henderson shines a much needed light on the everyday ancestor and their contributions to our rich history.

*To learn more about any individual photo or video, please be in touch or visit the site of the institution or archive listed in the caption of each post.

c 1910, outdoor photo of a young woman in white, taken in Neligh, Nebraska {*peace comes to mind... Channeling that energy on this 1000 degree day that just so happens to be my birthday 🎂🎈cheers to being alive and history-obsessed 🤍} 🗂️ &mdas
c 1897 - 1917, portrait of a father and his baby {*this tender moment warms my heart so much 🫶🏾🎈Happy Father’s Day to all the dearest dads 💫} 🗂️ —Photograph by William Bullard
c 1920-1921, studio portrait of the Price family. {*💐giving flowers and holding on tight. Happy Mother’s Day to you and yours 💞🙏🏾} 🗂️ —Univ of Kansas, Joseph Pennell photography collection
📌🗓️🪡 a few style notes before I lock in on this first-Monday-in-May red carpet. 🗂️ c 1913-1917, studio portraits by Rufus Holsinger, Charlottesville, VA —UVA digital collections
🗣️ omg, SINNERS tho! Ok, no spoilers but this incredible new film echoes the southern lore of blues godfather, Robert Johnson. 🪕🌾🎬🌙🎶 He’s credited for creating the blues sound and as the story goes, one night in Mississippi, Johnson mad
c early 1900s, a young guy embracing his pet dog, seated on a wooden ledge. 🗂️ —Archives of Ontario
c 1875, portrait of a woman in profile with elaborate updo {*was too busy enjoying being a woman to post for yesterday’s Int’l Women’s Day… nevertheless yay womanhood! Lol here’s an absolute beauty and her ornate cro
c early-mid 1900s, four women (possibly Afro Indigenous) standing in their yard embracing one another; a young woman stands in a window of the home behind them. Taken in Oklahoma. {*to sisterhood, womanhood, motherhood, all the hoods! Love the sub
c 1898, a couple posed on a swing in the woods {*💋💘✨ Happy Love Day! For the sake of contributing to your scrolling visuals, here’s a cute stereograph I found (and cropped for good reason). Hope you can see past the hallmark-holiday of it
c 1870-1900, full length studio portrait of a woman wearing a fancy ensemble. {*a composition, for the sake of remembering 🩶 p.s. I love getting lost in all the little details 🪡} 🗂️ —Library of Congress
c. 1880 - 1920, a classroom of young students raising their right hands in unison (holding what appears to be papers and handkerchiefs?), Richmond, VA {*keep your head in them books, especially the ones they went so far as to ban! ✏️🎓📓} 🗂️ &
c 1885, elderly man seated in an armchair on his front porch 🪑 {*we’re the only ones who can save us. Just sayin, in case you were waiting for somebody, that somebody is you. 🗝️🕯️🏺} 🗂️ —Library Company of Philadelphia