• Celebrity
    • Daniel Kaluuya – Digital Cover
    • Cardi B and Offset Cover
    • Method Man – Digital Cover
    • Zazie Beetz – Digital Cover
    • Celebrity News
    • ‘Yes, Girl!’ Podcast
    • Entertainment
    • Black Celeb Couples
    • Celebrity Moms
    • Red Carpet
  • Fashion
    • Fashion News
    • Fashion House 2021
    • Street Style
    • Accessories
    • Fashion Week
  • Beauty
    • Black Beauty Awards 2022
    • ESSENCE Hair Awards 2022
    • AVEENO® Skin Health Startup Accelerator
    • MAYBELLINE: FIT ME MATTE + PORELESS
    • Beauty News
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
  • Hair
    • Hair News
    • Natural
    • Relaxed
    • Transitioning
    • Weaves
    • 4C
  • Love
    • Love & Sex
    • The Solve Podcast
    • Weddings
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
  • Lifestyle
    • Build Your Legacy 2022
    • Prudential – Dream & Plan with Confidence
    • Black History Month
    • AMEX Platinum Travel
    • Holiday Gift Guide
    • Lifestyle News
    • Coronavirus: Everything You Need to Know
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Money & Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Black Travel Guide
    • Currency Conversations
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Raise Your Voice
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Videos
  • Festival
  • Events
    • Road to Festival
    • 2022 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2022 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
    • Entrepreneur Summit 2021
    • Wellness House
    • VAX & VIBES Louisiana
    • Girls United Summit 2021
    • She Got Now
    • Fashion House 2021
    • GU Back To School
    • Dear Black Men
    • I Am Speaking
    • WELLNESS HOUSE: YEAR OF RENEWAL
    • Power Tools
    • Making Moves Now: Virtual Bootcamp
    • #EF SESSIONS
    • Cares Act
    • News & Announcements
  • Essence Studios
  • Girls United
  • Subscribe
  • Newsletters

WHERE BLACK WOMEN COME FIRST

Every day we're serving Black women deeply. Come get a plate of goodness! Sign up for daily content and exclusive offers you'll love!

Your email is required.
Your email is in invalid format.
Confirm email is required.
Email did not match.
By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms of Use and that you have read our Privacy Policy
Skip to content
SUBSCRIBE
  • MAGAZINE
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Celebrity
    • Daniel Kaluuya – Digital Cover
    • Cardi B and Offset – Print Cover
    • Method Man – Digital Cover
    • Zazie Beetz – Digital Cover
    • Celebrity News
    • ‘Yes, Girl!’ Podcast
    • Entertainment
    • Black Celeb Couples
    • Celebrity Moms
    • Red Carpet
  • Fashion
    • Fashion News
    • Fashion House 2021
    • Street Style
    • Accessories
    • Fashion Week
  • Beauty
    • Black Beauty Awards 2022
    • ESSENCE Hair Awards 2022
    • AVEENO® Skin Health Startup Accelerator
    • Beauty News
    • MAYBELLINE: FIT ME MATTE + PORELESS
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
  • Hair
    • Hair News
    • Natural
    • Relaxed
    • Transitioning
    • Weaves
    • 4C
  • Love
    • Love & Sex News
    • The Solve Podcast
    • Weddings
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
  • Lifestyle
    • Build Your Legacy 2022
    • Prudential – Dream & Plan with Confidence
    • Black History Month
    • AMEX Platinum Travel
    • Holiday Gift Guide
    • Lifestyle News
    • Coronavirus: Everything You Need to Know
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Money & Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Black Travel Guide
    • Currency Conversations
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Raise Your Voice
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Videos
  • Festival
    • Sponsors
    • Fest Videos
  • Events
    • Road to Festival
    • 2022 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2022 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
    • Entrepreneur Summit 2021
    • Wellness House
    • VAX & VIBES Louisiana
    • Girls United Summit 2021
    • She Got Now
    • Fashion House 2021
    • GU Back To School
    • Dear Black Men
    • I Am Speaking
    • WELLNESS HOUSE: YEAR OF RENEWAL
    • Power Tools
    • Making Moves Now: Virtual Bootcamp
    • #EF SESSIONS
    • Cares Act
    • News & Announcements
  • Studios
  • Girls United
Home · Lifestyle

<p>#TBT: 22 Vintage Photos of Black Families To Get You Ready For Your Next Family Reunion</p>

It's that time of year again! Family reunions are happening all over the country. It's time for cookouts, nosy cousins, matching shirts and of course, lots and lots of group photos! We took it back (like a whole century back) and collected photos of family portraits and moments to celebrate the importance of love, belonging and community. 

By Natasha Hatendi · Updated October 27, 2020
01
We are Family

A large family poses for a family portrait together in front their home in Oklahoma, c.1901

#TBT: 22 Vintage Photos of Black Families To Get You Ready For Your Next Family Reunion
Hulton Archive/Getty images
02
We Are Family
A classic family portrait with mother, father and daughter celebrating the importance of their relationship, c.1910
#TBT: 22 Vintage Photos of Black Families To Get You Ready For Your Next Family Reunion
JHU Sheridan Libraries/Gado
03
We Are Family
Family poses for a portrait wearing their Sunday best outside their home c. 1915
#TBT: 22 Vintage Photos of Black Families To Get You Ready For Your Next Family Reunion
JHU Sheridan Libraries/Gado/Getty images
04
We Are Family
Family portrait of a mother and her five children enjoying a day out with nature. c.1920
#TBT: 22 Vintage Photos of Black Families To Get You Ready For Your Next Family Reunion
JHU Sheridan Libraries/Gado/Getty images
05
We Are Family
Portrait of family elegantly posing in their family car c.1930
#TBT: 22 Vintage Photos of Black Families To Get You Ready For Your Next Family Reunion
JHU Sheridan Libraries/Gado/Getty images
06
We Are Family
A family celebrating their relationship and closeness in their living room, c.1945
#TBT: 22 Vintage Photos of Black Families To Get You Ready For Your Next Family Reunion
Hulton Archive/Getty images
07
We Are Family
A mother, father and daughter showing the strength of their love in their family portrait c.1965
#TBT: 22 Vintage Photos of Black Families To Get You Ready For Your Next Family Reunion
Lambert/Getty images
08
We Are Family
A mother and her four children, enjoying the warm weather on their porch in Nashville, TN, c.1969
#TBT: 22 Vintage Photos of Black Families To Get You Ready For Your Next Family Reunion
Robert Abbott Sengstacke/Getty images
09
We Are Family
A family learns the value of money in the 1960s
#TBT: 22 Vintage Photos of Black Families To Get You Ready For Your Next Family Reunion
H. Armstrong Roberts/Getty images
10
We Are Family
Parents and their young daughter sitting in living room enjoying their favorite tv show, c.1970s
#TBT: 22 Vintage Photos of Black Families To Get You Ready For Your Next Family Reunion
H. Armstrong Roberts/Getty images
11
We Are Family
A mother and her three children eating snow cones and enjoying the Baltimore City Fair, c.1976
#TBT: 22 Vintage Photos of Black Families To Get You Ready For Your Next Family Reunion
Afro Newspaper/Gado/Getty images
12
We Are Family
Family dressed in their Sunday best on their way to church, Baltimore, Maryland, c.1974
#TBT: 22 Vintage Photos of Black Families To Get You Ready For Your Next Family Reunion
Afro Newspaper/Gado/Getty images
13
We Are Family
A large family enjoying the summer weather in front of their home in downtown St Louis, Missouri, c.1979
#TBT: 22 Vintage Photos of Black Families To Get You Ready For Your Next Family Reunion
Alain Le Garsmeur/Getty images
14
We Are Family
A family teaching each other how to skate in Venice Beach, CA, c.1980
#TBT: 22 Vintage Photos of Black Families To Get You Ready For Your Next Family Reunion
Waring Abbott/Getty images
15
We Are Family
United States Army families enjoying time with each other, listening to music at a concert on Fort Bliss, Texas, c.1983
#TBT: 22 Vintage Photos of Black Families To Get You Ready For Your Next Family Reunion
Alain Le Garsmeur/Getty images
16
We Are Family
A family outside their home enjoying the summer weather in downtown Lexington, Kentucky. c.1984
#TBT: 22 Vintage Photos of Black Families To Get You Ready For Your Next Family Reunion
Alain Le Garsmeur/Getty images
17
We Are Family
A family celebrating the life of the newest member of their family, in New York City.
#TBT: 22 Vintage Photos of Black Families To Get You Ready For Your Next Family Reunion
Visions of America/Getty images
18
We Are Family
American army family celebrating their family unit and young children in Frankfurt, Germany, c.1988
#TBT: 22 Vintage Photos of Black Families To Get You Ready For Your Next Family Reunion
ullstein bild/Getty images
19
We Are Family
Family watching, laughing and celebrating their love for each other at a parade in Delaware c.1993
#TBT: 22 Vintage Photos of Black Families To Get You Ready For Your Next Family Reunion
Visions of America/Getty images
20
We Are Family
It’s all love and smiles at a family reunion celebration in Washington DC c.1994
#TBT: 22 Vintage Photos of Black Families To Get You Ready For Your Next Family Reunion
Visions of America/Getty images
21
We Are Family
A mother and her twin daughters are the essence of a beautiful family unit, celebrating their bond at a family reunion celebration in Washington DC, c.1994
#TBT: 22 Vintage Photos of Black Families To Get You Ready For Your Next Family Reunion
Visions of America/Getty images
22
We Are Family
A family of brothers and sisters stay still for a moment to capture their unique bond c. 1998.
#TBT: 22 Vintage Photos of Black Families To Get You Ready For Your Next Family Reunion
Visions of America/Getty images

Read More

Viola Davis Cast As Head Gamemaker In ‘Hunger Games’ Prequel
Entertainment
Viola Davis Cast As Head Gamemaker In ‘Hunger Games’ Prequel
Keenen Ivory Wayans’s Daughter Just Got Married And Jordyn Woods Was A Bridesmaid
Lifestyle
Keenen Ivory Wayans's Daughter Just Got Married And Jordyn W...
#ESSENCEApproved – Mommy Must-Haves
Best & Black Owned
#ESSENCEApproved – Mommy Must-Haves
Are Social Media’s Beauty Trends Ruining Our Skin?
Beauty
Are Social Media's Beauty Trends Ruining Our Skin?
Early Fall Boot Shopping? We Recommend These 12 Styles
Shop
Early Fall Boot Shopping? We Recommend These 12 Styles
COMPANY INFORMATION
  • Our Company
  • Customer Service
  • Essence Ventures
  • Change Your Address
  • Contact Us
  • Job Opportunities
  • Internships
  • Media Kit
  • tag
SUBSCRIBE
  • Newsletters
  • Give a Gift of ESSENCE
  • Magazine Tablet Edition
FOLLOW US
MORE ON ESSENCE
  • Home
  • Love
  • Celebrity
  • Beauty
  • Hair
  • Fashion
  • ESSENCE festival

ESSENCE.com is part of ESSENCE Communications, Inc.

Essence may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.

©2022 ESSENCE Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Essence.com Advertising Terms

Get The ESSENCE Newsletter and
Special Offers delivered to your inbox

By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Get The ESSENCE Magazine
by subscribing below
subscribe now