Du Bois' Data Visualizations

The 1900 Paris Exposition was a world’s fair held in Paris, France, April 15-November 12, 1900. It was intended to highlight accomplishments over the past century and to encourage people to look forward to what was to come in the 20th century. One building at the fair was devoted to the “social economy,” and the U.S. section featured an exhibit devoted to the history and “present conditions” of African Americans. Scholar, writer, and civil rights leader W.E.B. Du Bois was asked to contribute a social study about African American life to the exhibit. The exhibit included 200 books written by African Americans, as well as 500 photographs highlighting business enterprises, social life, and education of African Americans. With the images, Du Bois intended to diminish racist caricatures of the day and demonstrate that there was no so-called “Negro type.”  

Also within the display were 63 charts, graphs, and maps, visualizing data mostly from the U.S. Census, Atlanta University reports, and various government agencies such as the U.S. Bureau of Labor. The data visualizations were divided into two parts. The first part was a case study of Black populations in Georgia, titled The Georgia Negro: A Social Study. The second was more national and global in scope, and was titled A Series of Statistical Charts Illustrating the Condition of the Descendants of Former African Slaves Now in Residence in the United States of America. This section contains recreations of dozens of data visualizations from the exhibit. You can see the originals on the Library of Congress website here: https://www.loc.gov/pictures/search/?sp=1&co=anedub&st=grid.  

Visualizations below with an asterisk before their name were created by Dignity + Debt for their Du Boisian Visualization Toolkit: https://www.dignityanddebt.org/projects/du-boisian-resources/. This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial licensed (CC BY-NC). See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.

*The Georgia Negro A social study (Plate 1).

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Diagram shows routes of the African slave trade with state of Georgia starred. [1900]. 

The opening of visualizations within this study depicts circular maps connected by lines from areas of Africa to the United States, the Caribbean, and South America. There is a white star that depicts the state of Georgia and the lines are the pathways of African American slave trade. 

https://www.loc.gov/item/2013650420/

*Relative Negro population of the states of the United States (Plate 2).

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Diagram shows map of the United States with colors to mark the number of African Americans in each state. [ca. 1900]

This visualization moves to a national portrayal of African American population densities within each state of the United States. The bright colors allow the viewer to get a glimpse into which states were densely populated.

https://www.loc.gov/item/2013650421/

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963.Bar graph shows the number of African Americans in states, with Georgia having the highest population. [ca. 1900]

This bar chart depicts the population densities in some of the most populated areas in the United States. Georgia, being the highest populated African American state, and Pennsylvania, the lowest population, are directly labeled with values. The viewer must estimate what the other states values are. The final bar on the visualization has a combined measure of all other states African American populations. 

https://www.loc.gov/item/2013650422/

*Negro Population of Georgia (Plate 4).

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Bar graph shows the number of African Americans in Georgia between 1790 and 1890. [ca. 1900]

The second bar chart in this series displays the growth of the African American population in Georgia. As the decades progress from 1790 to 1890, the population grows quite drastically. Almost 800,000 more African Americans.

https://www.loc.gov/item/2013650423/

*Negro Population of Georgia by Counties (Plate 5).

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Diagram shows map of Georgia with colors to mark the number of African Americans in each county. [ca. 1900].

\his 1890 map of Georgia shows the density of African Americans per county. 

https://www.loc.gov/item/2013650424/

*Negro Population of Georgia by Counties (Plate 6).

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Diagram shows two maps of Georgia, one from 1870 and the other from 1880, with colors to mark the number of African Americans in each county. [ca. 1900].

An 1870 and 1880 heat map is used to depict the concentrated areas of African Americans throughout each county in Georgia.  

https://www.loc.gov/item/2013650425/

*Comparative Increase of White and Colored Population of Georgia (Plate 7).

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963.Graph shows increase of African American and white populations in Georgia between 1790 and 1890. [ca. 1900].

This detail-oriented line graph shows the increase in the white and African American populations of Georgia. The dashed line depicts the White population and the solid black is African Americans. There is a stark increase in both populations around 1800 and a decrease over the decades.

https://www.loc.gov/resource/ppmsca.33869/

*Migration of Negroes 1890 (Plate 8).

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. 

The two maps within this visualization show the migration of African Americans in 1890. The solid black state represents the highlight of this study, Georgia. The first map displays the present state that Georgia borne African Americans reside. The second map depicts the birthplace of African Americans now residing in Georgia. 

https://www.loc.gov/item/2013650427/

*Age Distribution of Georgia Negroes Compared With France (Plate 9).

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Bar graph shows percentage of population by age of African Americans in Georgia compared to the French. [ca. 1900]

To allow for an international connection, this bar chart visualization compares the age distribution of African Americans in Georgia to all races in France. The black bars show the Georgia African American population and the yellow is France's population.

https://www.gisweekatncstate.org/data-visualization-exhibits/%5Bthe-georgia-negro%5D-age-distribution-of-georgia-negroes-compared-with-france

*Conjugal Condition (Plate 10).

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Graph shows marital status by age of African Americans compared to Germans. [ca. 1900]

This stacked tricolored bar chart labels the single, marries, and widowed/divorced German and African american's. This visualization is then further divided by age group starting with teenagers and working its way up to 60 and over. 

https://www.loc.gov/resource/ppmsca.33872/

*City and Rural Population- 1890 (Plate 11).

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Graph shows numbers of African Americans living in small and large cities compared to rural environments. [ca. 1900]

This combination of bar, line, and spiral graph shows the city and rural populations of the United States in 1890. This story-telling graphic shows that African Americans were living most densely in the country and villages.  

https://www.loc.gov/item/2013650430/

*Slaves and Free Negroes (Plate 12).

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Graph shows percentage of enslaved African Americans compared to free African Americans from 1790 to 1870. [ca. 1900]

This area chart displays free and enslaved African Americans. Reading this from top to bottom, we can see that the red area shows the increase, decrease, and increase again, of free African Americans. This can be compared to the dark black area of enslaved African Americans that has ripped edges inferring the conflict. 

https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2013650431/

*Race Amalgamation in Georgia (Plate 13). 

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Graph shows percentage of African Americans in Georgia with white descendents. [ca. 1900]

This stacked bar chart shows race amalgamation in Georgia. The top black portion of the bar depicts "Full-blooded" African Americans. The Brown portion is labeled as bi-racial, and the yellow is a person with "more white than negro blood". According to researchers Whitney Baptise and Britt Rusert, Du Bois was a free, northern-born, educated scholar working at an African American southern college.

https://www.loc.gov/item/2013650432/

*Illiteracy (Plate 14).

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Graph shows percentage of illiterate African Americans from 1860 to 1900. [ca. 1900]

This bar diagram shows the percentage of illiteracy throughout the decades between 1880 to 1900 of African Americans. There's a question mark located next to the year 1900 which may have been data that had been extrapolated data not yet measured in the study. 

https://www.loc.gov/resource/ppmsca.33876/

*Negro Children Enrolled in the Public Schools (Plate 15).

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Graph shows the number of African American children in public schools from 1860 to 1897. [ca. 1900]

This bar chart shows the increasing rate of African American children enrolled in Georgia public schools. Three years before the Emancipation Proclomation, which declared all persons held as slaves free, shows the 7 children that were enrolled in public school. After this law is passed, the rates of African American school enrollment steeply increases, and becomes more gradual around 1897.

https://www.loc.gov/item/2013650434/

*Negro Teachers in Georgia Public Schools (Plate 16).

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Diagram shows the number of African American teachers teaching in Georgia public schools from 1888 to 1897. [ca. 1900]

This simple graphic shows the amount of African American Georgia teachers in public schools throughout 1886 to 1897. 

https://www.loc.gov/item/2013650435/

*Number of Negro Students Taking Various Courses of Study Offered in Georgia Public Schools (Plate 17).

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Bar graph shows the number of African American students enrolled in various educational programs, with the largest number enrolled in industrial programs. [ca. 1900]

This simple bar chart displays the number of African American students taking courses of study offered in Georgia schools. This graphic is meant to display the drastic ratio of African American students taking industrial courses in Georgia compared to the other courses scuh as business, classical, etc.

https://www.loc.gov/item/2013650436/

*Value of Land Owned by Georgia Negroes (Plate 18).

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Diagram shows the value of land owned by African Americans in Georgia from 1875 to 1899. [ca. 1900]

This symbolic visualization examines the value of land owned by African Americans in Georgia. As the years progress from 1875 to 1899, there is in an increase of about $200000 in the value of land. 

https://www.loc.gov/item/2013650437/

*Acres of Land Owned by Negroes in Georgia (Plate 19).

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Bar graph shows the amount of land owned by African Americans in Georgia from 1874 to 1899. [ca. 1900]

This bar graph actually visualizes the state of Georgia through its various bars from 1874 to 1899. The bars are meant to measure the acres of land owner by African American's in Georgia.

https://www.loc.gov/item/2013650438/

*Land Owned by Negroes in Georgia, U.S.A. 1870-1900 (Plate 20).

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Diagram shows map of Georgia with colors to mark the number of acres of land owned by African Americans in each county. [ca. 1900]

Succeeding Plate 19, this map is also meant to show the amount of acres owned by African American's in each county in Georgia. There's intricate detail embedded within this graphic. The circular labels are meant to show the city of Atlanta and the city of Macon. 

https://www.loc.gov/item/2013650439/

*Valuation of Town and City Property Owned by Georgia Negroes (Plate 21).

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Graph shows increases and decreases of property owned by African Americans in Georgia between 1870 and 1900. [ca. 1900]

According to researchers Whitney Baptise and Britt Rusert, This plate is one of the most political charts within the Georgia study. The solid black line throughout the line graph crossing the red squares measures actual property values, next to a black outline which measures extrapolated property value data. Throughout this graphic, small detailed captions are embedded throughout hinting towards the political turmoil occurring throughout this time. The rise of the Ku Klux Klan in 1870, industrialism in the 1880's, and lynching, financial uncertainty, and disenfranchisement in the 1890's. This graphic is said to point towards the economic progress of African American's, but the severe disenfranchisement and dispossession of African American's in the post- Reconstruction area. (Citation - Battle-Baptiste, Whitney, and Britt Rusert, editors. W.E.B. Du Bois's Data Portraits Visualizing Black America. Princeton Architectural Press, 2018, pp. 79-80.)

https://www.loc.gov/resource/ppmsca.33883/

*Assessed Valuation of all Taxable Property Owned by Georgia Negroes (Plate 22).

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Diagram shows value of taxable property owned by African Americans in Georgia between 1875 and 1890. [ca. 1900]

This bulls-eye pie chart displays the value of taxable property owned by Georgia African American's. The value of land owned by African Americans in 1875 was $5,393,885. The various slices within this graphic show the value of land as the years pass between 1875 through 1899.

https://www.loc.gov/item/2013650442/

*Negro Property in Two Cities of Georgia (Plate 23).

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Graphs show number of African American owners and the value of their property in Savannah and Georgia between 1880 and 1899. [ca. 1900]

This matrix with overlapping bars displays the amount of African American property owners and the value of their land in two different Georgia cities. These cities are Atlana and Savannah.

https://www.loc.gov/item/2013650443/

*Value of Farming Tools (Plate 24).

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Bar graph shows value of farming tools between 1879 and 1898. [ca. 1900]

Agricultural labor was of great importance throughout the time period of this study. This bar chart measures the value of farming tools used primarily by African American's. There is a maximum value occurring at 1893. Du Bois doesn't, however, include dollar values. These values are meant to be inferred by the reader. 

https://loc.getarchive.net/media/the-georgia-negro-value-of-farming-tools

*Assessed Value of Household and Kitchen Furniture Owned by Georgia Negroes (Plate 25).

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Circular bar graph shows value of furniture between 1875 and 1899. [ca. 1900]

This unique spiraling bar chart is meant to measure the value of household and kitchen furniture owned by Georgia African American's. The trend of these bars increases as the years progress from 1875 to 1899.

https://www.loc.gov/item/2013650445/

*Occupations of Georgia Negroes (Plate 26).

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Bar graph shows number of males in various occupations in 1890.  [ca. 1900]

This bar chart shows the occupations of African American's in Georgia in 1890. There is a substantial number of African American's working as agricutural laborers, farmers and planters, and laborers in 1890. According to researches mentioned in previous visualizations, this chart leaves out predominant roles held by African American women such seamstresses, laundresses, and domestic servants. 

https://www.loc.gov/item/2013650447/

*Occupations of Negroes and Whites in Georgia (Plate 27).

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Circle graph shows percentage of African Americans and whites in various occupations. [ca. 1900]

Succeeding plate 27, this pie chart also aims to visualize the occupations held by African Americans and whites in Georgia. The predominant role held by both groups is agriculture, fisheres, and mining roles.

https://www.loc.gov/item/2005676812/

*Condition of 300 Negro Farm Tenants After 1 Years Toil, 1898 (Plate 30)

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. [ca. 1900]

This bar chart displays information surrounding the condition of 300 African American farm tenants after one year of toil in 1898. The black color shows loss and the red shows profit. Many African Americans were in debt and cleared very little profit.

https://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/ppmsca.33892/?co=anedub

*Income and Expenditure of 150 Negro Families in Atlanta, G.A., U.S.A. (Plate 31).

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Bar graph shows amount spent on rent, food, clothes, taxes, and other expenses by families in various income brackets. [ca. 1900]

This detailed and complex visualization combines many artistic techniques to explain the income and expenditures of 150 African American families in Atlanta, Georgia. Each class is divided and labeled with rent, food, clothing, taxes, and other expenses. There are images of particular families and homes owned and annual income.

https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2013650354/

*A Series of Statistical Charts Illustrating the Condition of the Descendants of Former African American Slaves now Resident in the United States of America (Plate 37). 

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Map shows African American population distribution and circle graph shows professions of Atlanta University graduates. [ca. 1900]

The first visualization in the second series is one of more detailed compared to succeeding plates. This graphic shows  a series of statistical charts illustrating the condition of the descendants of former African American slaves now residing in the United States. There is a pie chart in the center of the visualization showing the percentage of African American students at the University of Atlanta who have various occupations. There's also large amounts of text throughout captioning some information about the University. 

https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2005676836/

*Distribution of Negroes in the United States (Plate 38).

Atlanta University. Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Map shows African American population distribution. [ca. 1900]

This map measures the distribution of African Americans in the United States in 1890. The circular key labels show the amount of African American's per square mile in certain regions of the United States. 

https://www.loc.gov/item/2013650365

*Increase of the Negro Population in the United States of America (Plate 39).

Atlanta University. Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Bar graph shows African American population between 1750 and 1890. [ca. 1900]

Plate 39 has a bar chart measuring the increase of the African American population in the United States over a 140 year span from 1750 to 1890. There is a maximum value occurring in 1890, showing 7,470,040 African Americans in the United States.

https://www.loc.gov/item/2013650366/

*Comparative rate of increase of the white and Negro elements of the population of the United States (Plate 40).

Atlanta University. Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Line graph shows comparison of African American to white populations between 1790 and 1890.  [ca. 1900]

The comparative rate of increase of White and black elements of the population of the United States is visualized using a line graph. Socioeconomic events are mapped throughout the grid. The abolition of the slave trade, Europe immigrants, and Emancipation are labeled as important factors over both groups. The dark green line encompasses the white population and the red encompasses African Americans.  

https://www.loc.gov/resource/ppmsca.33902/

*Negro Population of the United States Compared With the Total Population of Other Countries (Plate 41).

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. [ca. 1900]

This graphic displays various countries total population in comparison to the African American population in the United States. Sizing is strategically used throughout to allow the reader to quickly infer the drastic populations at first glance.

https://medium.com/nightingale/discovering-a-new-chart-from-w-e-b-du-boiss-the-exhibition-of-american-negros-part-6-66e7b340b90c

*Proportion of Negroes in the Total Population of the United States (Plate 42).

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. [ca. 1900]

Succeeding the previous plate, these maps compare the ratio of African American's in the total population of the United States. Sizing is also a factor in this visualization. As the years increase from 1800 to 1890, there is a smaller proportion of African American's throughout the years.  

https://medium.com/nightingale/discovering-a-new-chart-from-w-e-b-du-boiss-the-exhibition-of-american-negros-part-6-66e7b340b90c

*Occupations in Which American Negroes are Engaged (Plate 43).

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. [ca. 1900]

This stacked bar chart with bright primary colors, depicts the occupations in which African Americans are engaged. We can see that the most highly populated occupation includes agriculture, mining, and fishing. Some of the least held occupations include commerce and transportation/manufacturing in mechanical industries. 

https://medium.com/nightingale/discovering-a-new-chart-from-w-e-b-du-boiss-the-exhibition-of-american-negros-part-6-66e7b340b90c

*Proportion of White and Negroes in the Different Classes of Occupation in the United States (Plate 44).

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. [ca. 1900]

This pinwheel pie chart shows the proportion of white in African Americans in different classes of occupation in the United States. There is an intense contrast between the dark and white shapes, which represent white workers. We can see that there is an abundance of occupations held by whites, but not African-Americans.

https://medium.com/nightingale/discovering-a-new-chart-from-w-e-b-du-boiss-the-exhibition-of-american-negros-part-6-66e7b340b90c

*Occupations in Which 10,000 or More American Negros are Engaged (Plate 45).

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. [ca. 1900]

In comparison to the previous visualization, this graphic displays the occupations of 10,000 or more African-Americans occupations. Again, we can see that the dominating role are agricultural laborers. The bars become quite small for more complex occupations held by white.

https://medium.com/nightingale/discovering-a-new-chart-from-w-e-b-du-boiss-the-exhibition-of-american-negros-part-6-66e7b340b90c

*Number of Negro Teachers in the Public Schools of the United States (Plate 46).

Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. [ca. 1900]

Covering only nine years, the strategic bar chart displays the number of African-American teachers in public schools of the United States. We can see that as the years progress, there is an increase in African-American teachers.

https://medium.com/nightingale/data-journalism-in-the-study-of-w-e-b-du-bois-the-negro-problem-part-2-of-4-e5ea9b976adc

*Illiteracy of the American Negroes Compared With That of Other Nations (Plate 47).

Atlanta University. Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Bar graph shows the illiteracy rate of African Americans compared to illiteracy rates in eight European countries and Russia. [ca. 1900]

This defiant bar chart depicts African Americans' illiteracy rates compared to other nations. The other nations are ones that participated in the Paris exposition. It is shown that African Americans are the third highest in terms of illiteracy rates. 

https://www.loc.gov/item/2014645352/

*Enrollment of the Negro Common Schools of the Former Slave States of the United States (Plate 48).

Atlanta University. Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. The bar graph shows the school enrollment of African Americans between 1876 and 1895. [ca. 1900]

An additional bar chart is added to this visualization collection to depict the enrollment numbers of African American common schools that are located in former slave states. As the years progress from 1876 to 1895, the numbers increase by almost 500,000.

https://www.loc.gov/item/2014645353/

*Proportion of total Negro children of school age who are enrolled in the public schools (Plate 49).

Atlanta University. Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. The bar graph shows the percentage of African Americans enrolled in public schools between 1876 and 1896.. [ca. 1900]

This striking visualization shows the proportion of school-age African American children enrolled in public schools during this time period. While the population increases from 1886 to 1896, the enrollment rate stays pretty similar at about 57 percent. 

https://www.loc.gov/item/2014645353/

*The Rise of the Negroes From Slavery to Freedom in One Generation (Plate 50).

Atlanta University. Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. The bar graph shows the percentage of African Americans in slavery in 1860 and the percentage of African Americans who owned property in 1890. [ca. 1900]

Two large bars display the transformation between enslaved African Americans to free tenants in the span of forty years. The written description within this visualization allows readers to understand the challenge African Americans had with the state in terms of obtaining aid when owning a house or farm. 

https://www.loc.gov/item/2014645355/

*Proportion of Freemen and Slaves of American Negroes (Plate 51).

Atlanta University. Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. The line graph shows the percentage of African Americans in slavery between 1790 and 1870.[ca. 1900]

Compared to plate 12, Slaves and Free Negros, this area chart explains the proportion of free and enslaved African Americans on a national level. The period between 1860 and 1870 shows a drastic increase of freemen in the United States. 

https://www.loc.gov/item/2014645356/

*City and Rural Population Among American Negroes in the Former Slave States (Plate 52).

Atlanta University. Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Line graph shows percentage of African Americans in rural and urban environments between 1860 and 1890. [ca. 1900]\

This bar chart visualization explains how stark of a difference there was between rural and urban residing African Americans in former slave states. 

https://www.loc.gov/item/2014645357/

*Conjugal Condition of American Negroes According to Age Periods (Plate 53).

Atlanta University. Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Line graph shows percentage of African American men and women who are single, married, or widowed by age.[ca. 1900]

This intricate visualization that combines an area and bar chart, examines female and male African Americans according to their marital status based on age. 

https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2014645358/

*The Amalgamation of the White and Black Elements of the Population in the United States (Plate 54).

Atlanta University. Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Line graph shows numbers and percentages of African Americans who are biracial. [ca. 1900]

This mountain shaped area chart maps the amalgamation of "African Americans", "Whites", and "Mullatoes" over the century. 

https://www.loc.gov/item/2014645360/

*Proprieties Contribuables Des Negres Dans Trois Etats des Etats Unis (Plate 55).

Atlanta University. Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Diagram shows value of property owned by African Americans in Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia. [ca. 1900]

This graphic, displaying information about Virginia, Georgia, and North Carolina shows the property value of land owned by African Americans during this time. The final section of this square graphic sums the three values to show the total dollar amount.  

https://www.loc.gov/resource/ppmsca.33917/?loclr=blogmap

*Negro Landholders in Various States of the United States (Plate 56).

Atlanta University. Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Bar graph shows percentage of African Americans owning land in nine southern states. [ca. 1900]

This bar chart compares tenants to land owners of the African American population. There's a drastic difference between those who owned and rented land in the Southern states. 

https://loc.getarchive.net/media/a-series-of-statistical-charts-illustrating-the-condition-of-the-descendants-7

*Negro Business Men in the United States (Plate 57).

Atlanta University. Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Diagram shows relative number of African Americans in various businesses. [ca. 1900]

This colorful visualization shows the relative number of African American men who held various occupational roles. The squares spactial and size representation shows the unproportional levels of men in different roles.

https://www.loc.gov/item/2014645363/

*Pauperism Among American Negroes (Plate 58).

Atlanta University. Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963, collector. Diagram shows number of African American almshouse residents. [ca. 1900]

The merging of a circle and bar chart explains the amount of poor African Americans in Georgia and their gender. This study is examined on a 100,000 African American pauper proportion level. 

https://www.loc.gov/item/2014645375/

*Morality of American Negroes (Plate 59).

Atlanta University. Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963, collector. Bar graph shows mortality rates of African Americans in Philadelphia and the United States. [ca. 1900]

This morality rate comparison of African Americans in the United States is nationally compared to neighborhoods in the "slums", "mixed class wards", and "better class". From this data, it's shown that "better class" neighborhoods have lower mortality rates than highly documented rates in "slums" and "mixed wards".

https://www.loc.gov/item/2014645374/

*Crime Among American Negroes (Plate 60). 

Atlanta University. Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963, collector. Bar graph shows number of African American prisoners in jails and the types of crimes they committed. [ca. 1900]

This crime rate comparison of 3,250 per million African Americans is angled at a forty-five degree angle with five different crime options. The largest crime section is related to property charges.  

https://www.loc.gov/item/2014645376/

*American Negro Newspapers and Periodicals (Plate 61).

Atlanta University. Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963, collector. [ca. 1900]

This pyramid-shaped graphic measures the number of African American published newspapers and periodicals. The largest section is the "weekly papers". 

https://medium.com/nightingale/the-legacy-of-w-e-b-du-bois-the-exhibit-of-american-negroes-part-5-6b735a426c68

*Religion of American Negroes (Plate 62).

Atlanta University. Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963, collector. Bar graph shows number of African Americans practicing various Christian religions.[ca. 1900]

This three-colored bar chart graphs the religious affiliations of African Americans under the catholic and protestant groups. Protestants are further divided into sub-groups including Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, and Miscellaneous. Only a few African Americans are Catholic whereas most fall in the Protestant group.

https://www.gisweekatncstate.org/data-visualization-exhibits/%5Ba-series-of-statistical-charts-illustrating-the-condition-of-the-descendants-of-former-african-slaves-now-in-residence-in-the-united-states-of-america%5D-religion-of-american-negroes

*Statistics of Negro Church Organizations (Plate 63).

Atlanta University. Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963, collector. Bar graph shows number of African American church organizations, churches, church members, and value of church property. [ca. 1900]

This graphic further explains Plate 62 by discussing the religious organizations African Americans were a part of. In addition to this, the value of the church properties is noted.

https://www.loc.gov/item/2014645379/

Visualizations Created by Students 

Comparative Rate of Increase of the White and Negro Elements of the Population of the United States

Mortality From Consumption- General Population 1887-1906.

Mortality of American Negroes

Distribution of Negroes in the United States

Distribution of Negros in Dougherty County, Albany

Citation: W. E. B. Du Bois's Data Portraits: Visualizing Black America. 2018.