Freeman Fisher Gosden and Charles James Correll, the creators and original performers of the radio phenomenon "Amos 'n' Andy," are captured here in full blackface costume in a sepia-toned promotional photograph, almost certainly dating from the late 1920s or early 1930s at the height of the program's national popularity. Both men signed the image in ink beneath their character names, with parenthetical actor credits reading "Amos (F.F. Gosden)" and "Andy (C.J. Correll)," preceded by the word "Sincerely." No photographer's imprint is visible on the front or reverse.

Gosden, portraying Amos, is seated on a wooden barrel wearing a striped vest over a loose white shirt and light trousers, holding a dark hat in his lap. Correll, as Andy, stands to his right in a dark suit and bowler hat with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, gripping his wide striped necktie with both hands.

"Amos 'n' Andy" debuted on Chicago radio station WMAQ in 1928 and within two years commanded an estimated audience of forty million listeners nightly, making it the most widely heard radio program in American broadcasting history to that point. Signed promotional photographs from this era are uncommon and represent a significant chapter in the history of American popular entertainment.

The reverse is blank with no inscriptions or studio notations. The photograph measures 7 by 5 1/2 inches.

From the collection of James Lee Soffer