WITNESSarchive

W–012 · Documentary photograph and sources

Separate Water

In the American South, a sign above a drinking fountain told people who could use it. “White” marked the fountain for white people; “Colored” marked the one for Black people. The same words divided restrooms and waiting rooms. Racial segregation reached into ordinary places where people came for water, a ticket or groceries.

1. Two fountains in Wilmington

A Black man drinks from a worn basin marked “Colored.” Beside it stands a larger fountain marked “White”; a shared drainpipe is visible beneath them. Photograph by Elliott Erwitt, 1950.
A Black man drinks from a worn basin marked “Colored.” Beside it stands a larger fountain marked “White”; a shared drainpipe is visible beneath them. Photograph by Elliott Erwitt, 1950.
Provenance and sources for frame 1

Displayed file: 3840 × 2547 pixels. Full image record in Russian.

norman.hrc.utexas.edutime.comView image file

In 1896, the US Supreme Court’s decision in Plessy v. Ferguson established the doctrine of “separate but equal.” It allowed separation by race on the condition that services were equal. In practice, the facilities and the treatment people received were not.

Railway stations, courthouses, shops and workplaces provided separate entrances, rooms and restrooms. Some laws explicitly required employers to maintain separate toilets. The public bathhouses at Hot Springs were divided four ways: for white women, white men, Black women and Black men. Where a statute did not require separation, local rules, custom, policing and the threat of violence could sustain it.

2. A cooler marked “Colored”

A man drinks from a paper cup beside a cooler marked “Colored.” Signs for white and Black women and men hang on the wall. The archival record does not name him. Photograph by Russell Lee.
A man drinks from a paper cup beside a cooler marked “Colored.” Signs for white and Black women and men hang on the wall. The archival record does not name him. Photograph by Russell Lee.
Provenance and sources for frame 2

Displayed file: 4269 × 3038 pixels. The source record discusses public-domain status; check which jurisdiction it covers. Full image record in Russian.

loc.govblogs.loc.govView image file

Elliott Erwitt photographed two such fountains in Wilmington, North Carolina, in 1950. Looking back, he spoke about the failure of the “separate but equal” formula. The signs demanded separation; the fountains themselves revealed the inequality.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited racial discrimination in hotels, restaurants and other public accommodations within its scope. Discrimination did not disappear, but people could now invoke federal law in demanding equal service.

3. Two fountains at once

A white man and a Black man drink from separate fountains at the same moment. The nearer fountain is marked “For Colored Only.” The archive dates the image to about 1960; its photographer and precise location are unknown.
A white man and a Black man drink from separate fountains at the same moment. The nearer fountain is marked “For Colored Only.” The archive dates the image to about 1960; its photographer and precise location are unknown.
Provenance and sources for frame 3

Displayed file: 2598 × 1822 pixels. The source identifies this image as copyrighted. Full image record in Russian.

gettyimages.comarchives.govView image file