Rare Orignal Signed 1921 photograph of "Father Divine"

Reverend George Baker A.K.A. Father Divine (C.1882–1965) founded the Peace Mission movement near Savannah, Georgia C.1910. After preaching in the South, he moved to Harlem in 1915 and became one of the neighborhood's biggest landlords, acquired wealth through other businesses, including restaurants and grocery stores, and began calling himself "Father Divine". People were said to be drawn to Father Divine's teachings because of the "love and benevolence [he] supernaturally extended to whomever came within its radius, the revelation to countless numbers that the Second Coming of Jesus Christ was here and now in the person of Father Divine". Father Divine provided work, shelter, and food in a time of great need, and this, coupled with his charismatic message, created a great draw for people. His provision of jobs for his followers was especially important during the time of the Great Depression. Although once dismissed as a cult leader, he built the largest religious movement in northern ghettos during the Great Depression. He was an early civil-rights activist leading anti-lynching campaigns, instituting economic cooperatives, and organizing political action against racial discrimination. The movement spread world wide. During the 1940s, his health and influence declined, but his movement symbolized the progressive spirit in the black church and helped define the church's active role in the civil-rights movement. An exceptionally rare and important early signed photograph.